Eternal Secrets
by AngelWithASeraphBlade
Summary: All human. When everything changes in the space of a few days, you lose people. You gain new people. You gain a new life. And yet not much has changed at all really. Life ticks on, school is still there, everything life is a bit harder, much more sad, much happier and you'll never be the same again. Disclaimer: I don't own any of this, apart from the plot.
1. Beginnings

_**Okay, guys, so this is my first fanfic so I hope it's not too rubbish… I've changed some of the characters relationships to make it fit, please don't be mad at me. Please review with any suggestions, etc., I'd love to hear from you. I haven't deliberately copied from anyone, sorry if it is similar to anyone's.**_

_**Thanks for choosing my fanfic!**_

_**Lu xxx**_

Jace stared out of the window. The girl was walking down the street outside his house, huddled against the wind, her long red hair flying around behind her like fire. She came past every morning on her way to school – Jace had started noticing her about three weeks ago, and every day since then he had seen her go past with that nerdy kid in Jace's year. Jace had assumed – and hoped pretty hard as well – that the boy was her brother. Simon, he thought his name was.

Jace ran his hand through his golden hair as the pair crossed the road and walked out of sight. What was wrong with him? He had never acted like this before. It was almost as if he was jealous of Simon, walking with the girl, laughing with her. He felt almost – almost as if he should be the one doing that. It made Jace shudder. This was just a faze. It would pass soon. He sighed, pulled on a black jacket, and made his way downstairs.

His father was sat at the table, drinking his coffee and reading the paper. Stephen Herondale was a well built, serious man, who was constantly wrapped up in work and other matters. He didn't seem to notice as Jace walked in. He just sat reading the paper, as usual with a frown. Jace reckoned he'd only seen him smile a couple of times since Céline had died. Céline. Not really his mother and yet the only mother he had ever known. Thinking of her, his chest seemed to tighten.

"Good morning, Father." Jace quickly pulled out a chair and sat down, helping himself to a bagel and buttering it quickly. His father didn't look up. Jace took a bite out of the bagel, and then set it down.

"I trust you slept well?" Again no response. Sighing, Jace wolfed down the rest of his breakfast. His father always seemed to be like this in the morning. He was never quite sure whether his father was listening – it was impossible to tell. Wiping the crumbs off of his mouth, he dropped his plate in the sink and began to scrub. Stephen was particular about little things like cleanliness and what sort of crystal his shot glasses were made from. He saw a faded red pickup truck draw up outside the house. Jace grabbed his bag off of the back of his chair and looked back at his father.

"I'm off now Father." Stephen continued to look engrossed in the paper. "Don't worry if I'm not home when you get back, I have football training after school and then Alec might be taking me to Taki's." This earned a grunt from his father, and taking this as a sign that his father had understood he walked out of the door and down the path to the car.

Jace swung himself onto the bench seat in the front of the truck next to Alec's sister Isabelle, who was in the year below. She was fiddling with her long black hair and it was tickling his face.

"Iz would you mind doing that to someone else? A duck perhaps?" Jace had always hated ducks. He had no idea why

"Hmph" She swung her hair around like a whip, and it smacked right into Alec's face, causing him to swear colourfully and swerve in the road. Righting the car he glared at Izzy.

"Will you quit it? Just keep your hair to yourself!" Izzy slunk back in her seat and kicked her feet on to the dashboard in a sulk. Jace smirked at her.

"So…you still up for Taki's today Jace?" Alec looked at Jace through his hair, the exact same shade as Izzy's, which had partially fallen over his eyes.

"Sure. My father seemed so interested in my out of school activities that he nearly looked up from his newspaper." Alec sighed. Jace was always like this about his father – seemingly indifferent, even joking about it, but he knew it hurt Jace inside. He wasn't the sort of person to show it, but Alec had been his best friend for as long as he could remember. He had learnt to recognise it when Jace was upset. And also that it was best just to let it be.

"I won't be coming," said Isabelle, "Because I have a date." Isabelle had announced this as if it was a big thing. Alec just blinked.

"Aren't you going to flip out and do that big brother thing?" She looked disgruntled, disappointed even, as if she expected Alec to be more protective.

"Iz, I hate to break it to you, but you've been out with every boy in your year. Alec is bound to be used to it by now. I know I am." Jace raised a bottle of water to his lips.

"Yeh? Well this boy is in your year." This had a slightly better impact. Alec raised an eyebrow. Jace just carried on drinking, oblivious.

"Really? What's his name then? So I can beat the crap out of him if he hurts you?" Izzy smiled. This was what she had been aiming for.

"His name is Simon. Simon Fray." Jace spurted water all over the windscreen. For the second time that journey, Alec swore and swerved.

"By the Angel Jace, what the hell was that about?" Alec asked.

"Nothing," said Jace, still sounding a little dazed, "Just… choked." Both of Isabelle's eyebrows shot up. Any higher, Jace thought, and they would fly into her hair.

"Hmm. If I didn't know better, I would have said that it had something to do with my choice of date." Izzy smirked.

"Who, Simon? Well, I didn't think nerds were your type. I thought you preferred something a little less…geekish."

"Excuse me; I can go out with whoever I like!" Isabelle probably would have said more, but at that moment Alec turned the truck into the car park, making an enormous splash as it went through a puddle. They had arrived at St. Xavier's.

Clary Fray's morning was going badly. Firstly, she had been completely soaked when a red pickup truck had gone through a massive puddle right by her, and then she had found out she would have to walk home on her own that evening because her brother Simon was going on a date. She still had issues walking around the streets on her own after what had happened to their mom a couple of months ago. Right now, she was arguing with Simon about it in the corridor.

"Simon, why do you have to go straight away? Why can't you come home for a bit first?"

"Clary, when this girl asked me out she said we had to go straight away, no exceptions, and this girl, by the Angel she's wonderful, and I don't want to ruin my chances with her!"

"Simon, you know I feel terrified after what happened to Mom! And now you're gonna put me in that situation for a girl? Who is she to be that special anyway?"

"Isabelle Lightwood." At that Clary just stared at him. Beautiful Isabelle Lightwood. She was the most popular girl in Clary's year, especially with the boys, way more interested in lip gloss than math class - so basically the complete opposite of Simon. Clary honestly had no idea how Simon had ever pulled her. So she asked him.

"How the hell did you manage to swing _Isabelle Lightwood_?" Simon shrugged.

"She just asked me out, told me where and when before I'd even had a chance to say yes, put her number in my hand and walked off." Clary thought this was extremely unlikely; for example, Isabelle was more likely to have pressed her number into his hand, kissed him full on the mouth, and flounced off leaving him completely dazed. However, she never had a chance to say this to Simon because at that point her best friend Maia grabbed her by the arm and started telling Clary about her date with her boyfriend Jordan. As Maia dragged her away, Clary looked over her shoulder and saw Simon smirking. She shot him a venomous look and tried to look interested in what Maia was saying. It was going to be a long day.

"…and so then he took me to the park, and we kissed for ages, and fed the ducks in the pond and stuff, it was great! Clary, are you listening?" Clary turned her head around quickly. Maia had stopped and was staring at her, her deep brown eyes questioning.

"Sorry, Maia, I'm just completely out of it this morning." Maia looked at her more with concern now.

"Hey, what was all that with Simon? You guys, like, never fight. Ever. It's hard to believe that you two are siblings!"

"Oh, it was nothing," Said Clary, waving it off, "We just had a little …disagreement over his plans for tonight." Maia gave her a look. "Come on, it wasn't anything serious! Honest!" Maia seemed to relax, but still looked a bit concerned.

"Well, okay then." Clary sighed. Luckily, at that moment the bell rang. The girls hurried off to history, and pretty soon, they were giggling. Things were almost back to normal.


	2. Changes

_**Okay, I'm feeling nice so I've decided to update again. Hope this isn't too weird, I've added Magnus into the mix as well this time so watch out for some Malec! Please review, tell me what you think, any suggestions, etc. Disclaimer: I only own the plot.**_

_**Lu xxx**_

Magnus stared at the outside of St. Xavier's. Well, this was it. Magnus was a bit annoyed at the fact that he had had to change schools – he'd been very popular at Idris High in the next state, and he was really going to miss his best friend Camille. But it couldn't be helped. After what had happened after he had come out to his parents, the only thing he'd been able to do was get away. He'd managed to get an apartment cheap pretty easily, but it had been such a pain to get into the nearest school, especially since he didn't have the right papers or anything. And of course there was the issue of explaining why his parents weren't in the scene. But now he was here, and he hated to admit it, but the great Magnus Bane was… nervous.

Magnus shrugged it off. He'd never gotten nervous, not even when he was about to come out, and he was determined not to start now. Looking down at himself, he wondered if he had been a bit too flamboyant. He was wearing ripped, sparkly paint splattered skinny jeans and a black top streaked with glitter. His dark hair was spiked up and tipped with blue sparkles and his eyes matched with blue glitter and thick eyeliner. He'd even painted his nails in a shimmer. No of course he wasn't too flamboyant. Magnus Bane did not know the meaning of the word. He would not be controlled by social laws. He defined the social laws. But not here. Magnus bit his lip. Damn, he was worrying again. Sighing, he walked in through the double doors, determined to just get on with it. The first day was always the hardest, and hey, maybe there would be some hot guys here. Smiling, he went to get his timetable from reception.

Frowning, Magnus looked down at the day's schedule. Period 1 – English, Room 12B, Mr Carstairs. Then, he looked up and the corridor and frowned. He had absolutely no idea where he was going. There were no numbers on the classroom doors, not subject names. He hadn't a clue. Damn it, he was going to have to ask someone for directions. He had promised himself he wouldn't stoop to this level. But he couldn't help it. Time to bite the bullet. Magnus walked up to a tall surfer-type with his brown curls falling over his eyes.

"Hey, I don't suppose you know where Room 12B is? I'm new and I know bugger all about where stuff is." The boy looked startled, whether at being asked directions from someone like Magnus, or Magnus full stop. Regardless, he answered.

"Sure, just go down the hall; it's at the very end on the right." He shrugged and walked off towards girl with dark braids and another who looked like her head was on fire. Just before he got to then the bell went and he stalked off in a different direction. Magnus braced himself and walked towards the room that had been pointed out to him. It was time to face the music. He only hoped that he would make a decent first impression on these people. He wanted to get back into a loop, and fast.

Alec slouched back in his seat at the back of his English class, picking at a hole in his grey sweater. He was the only one on this row, and that was the way he liked it. Apart from Jace, Alec didn't have many friends – well, being best friends with Jace meant he had loads of friends – but he had always been a bit of an outsider. Being around too many people made him nervous and fidgety, it always had, and especially since he had figured out his sexual orientation he just preferred to be left alone wherever possible. Which was why he was so annoyed when the new guy decided not only to sit on back row, but on the desk next to his.

Alec was very taken aback by this new figure. For starters, he seemed to be entirely covered in glitter. Glitter on his jeans, glitter on his shirt, his hair, sparkles shadowing his eyes. Even his nails were caked in the stuff. This was a lot to take in, especially on a Monday morning. Then there were his eyes – they were startling, a golden green colour. Alec loved them. They were enchanting to look at – and staring right back at him.

"I see you have been taken in by my fabulousness." Alec turned a deep shade of red and turned away. The boy seemed unfazed.

"My name's Magnus Bane. Also known as Bane the Great, the Wonderful Magnus and Hats. But that's a long story." Magnus smiled at Alec, holding out his hand. Alec shook it tentatively.

"Alexander Lightwood. Most people just call me Alec." Magnus's smile widened. Just then Mr Carstairs walked in. Magnus sighed and settled down next to Alec. And Alec had to admit to himself, he liked the boy. Even if he had left glitter up his sleeve.

Jace was bored. It was the only way to describe it. Why he had chosen to take Geography, he had no idea, but it was a bad decision. Listening to some old fanatic rattle off facts about volcanoes just didn't push his buttons. At all. God, he was looking forward to lunch. He checked his watch. Ten minutes. Ten minutes too long. He sighed and decided to pay a little bit of attention to pass the time away.

Ten minutes on and Jace ran off to the canteen, having discovered that volcanoes were actually interesting and maybe he would pay attention next lesson. He spotted Alec almost instantly, chatting with a tall, glittery guy who Jace suspected was new. He raised his eyebrows at this. Alec didn't normally like to chat to people. He wondered what it was about this boy that meant Alec looked comfortable around him. He moved forward to find them locked in conversation.

"So then I said… Oh hi Jace," Alec said, looking up and seeing his best friend staring at him, "This is Magnus Bane. Magnus, this is Jace, my best friend. He's like a brother to me."

"Hey Magnus!" Jace smiled at him. He looked at the boy. "Nice nails." Magnus stared at them.

"Are you being sarcastic?"

"Maybe. You'll just have to figure that out for yourself." Magnus looked at Jace as if he was trying to work him out. But the look was wiped off of his face as soon as it had been placed there, and Jace wondered if he had imagined it.

"Anyway, welcome to St. Xavier's." Alec stared at Jace.

"Wow…was that you not being a jerk Jace?" His voice was tinged with sarcasm, earning himself a thump in the arm from Jace.

"I am never a jerk. How dare you suggest it!" Jace faked looking offended. Alec rolled his eyes.

"Come on, let's get some food, I'm starving." The three of them walked off together.

Clary was not impressed. Maia had insisted that Jordan sit with them for lunch yet again, and it was starting to wear down on her patience. All they seemed to do was look into each other's eyes with this really gooey expression on their faces, or talk about this date they went on, or some funny anecdote about their relationship that made not sense to Clary whatsoever. It was like Clary was losing Maia – not just because she was spending more and more time with Jordan and less and less time with Clary, but because she seemed to be almost changing as a person. She had taken almost as much as she could bear.

Just when she was about to walk off and sit somewhere else, Maia gasped loudly and ran off. Clary, who had been totally out of it, looked around – and located the source of the problem. There was a girl sitting on Jordan's lap kissing him furiously. He pushed her off, and as soon as the girl was out of the way she slapped him hard, leaving a livid red mark.

"You bastard!" She screamed at him, and ran off after Maia. Everyone was staring at this point. Jordan looked down at his plate, and began to fiddle with his food. Why had Annamarie chosen this moment to kiss him? He had called their relationship ages ago, before he'd even considered going out with Maia. She tried to sit on his lap again but he pushed her off. There was no way he would even talk to her again after what she had just done. Crap, he had been so happy with Maia, and now Annamarie had had to ruin it, hadn't she. He sighed, and raked his hands through his hair. How was he going to fix this?

Isabelle stared at the scene which had just unfurled before the entire school.

"Damn, what an idiot! Two-timing like that! Poor girl. I loved the way the red-head slapped him like that though. I like a girl with attitude." Simon just stared with his mouth open. Isabelle looked at him.

"Um, hello. Simon? Were you listening to me?" Simon shook himself out of his reverie.

"Yeh. Yeh, that red-head is my sister. Damn, I never thought I'd see Clary do that!"

"Whoa, she's you're sister? I didn't realise you had a sister! Is she in my year?"

"Yep. She knows who you are. Quite surprised that you liked me, actually." Isabelle poked Simon's nose with her finger.

"Of course I like you. You're smart, you're cute – you're funny. Just because I'm popular, does not mean I do not have taste." Simon smiled at this, and poked her back.

"Why thank you. I personally think that you are all of that and beautiful as well." Isabelle threw her arms around him at that, and he hugged he back. He gave her a quick peck on the lips.

"I can't wait for tonight! Where are you taking me? Please tell!" Izzy looked at Simon with puppy dog eyes.

"No way! It's a surprise. All I can say is that you will love it!" Izzy smiled broadly at him, almost as if she couldn't help it. It seemed so un-Isabelle. Or maybe it was just the real Isabelle shining through the façade. The bell went, and the pair went their separate ways, with grins still plastered on their faces.


	3. Contrasts

_**Heya, I hope you like this chapter… I think I'm gonna have a Clace moment this chapter or next chapter, maybe not. Also, what happens on Sizzy's date? What happens with Maia and Clary after the whole thing with Jordan? And what is going on with Magnus and Alec? Should all be coming up in this chapter, maybe the next? Enjoy, and please review! **_

_**Lu xxx**_

…

It took Clary less than a couple of minutes to find Maia. She was slumped against a locker, her head in her hands, crying. It was horrible to listen to, it sounded so… so heartbroken. Clary sat down next to Maia and put her hand around her best friend.

"Maia, I am so, so sorry."

"What, that the boy I loved more than anything is a lying bastard? That he as good as broke up with me with that slut in front of the whole school?" Maia broke down all over again into Clary's arms and she held onto her, rubbing her back. She hated to have to be comforting her friend like this, but at least she was there for Maia.

"Shhh, Maia, it'll all be fine, we'll work it out. I will _always_ be here for you, just you remember that, okay, come on sweetie…" Tears continued to fall down Maia's face and it was all Clary could do to be the only thing in the world the girl could hold onto that wouldn't disappear. The bell went for their final lesson, Music, but there was no way Clary was moving. Maia needed her now and she would not abandon her friend.

Time seemed to just disappear as they sat there. In some ways it felt like hours, and in others it felt like barely seconds had passed. All Clary knew was that the bell that signalled the end of the day was going off.

"Do you want to go, Maia? Or do you want to stay here for a bit?" School didn't lock up for hours because of all the stuff that went on after hours. So they didn't have to move for a while.

"I want to stay," she whispered, "I don't think I can face going home just yet. Not with Mom always going on about my relationship…" Clary hugged her closer.

"Okay, okay, Maia, we'll stay, you don't have to face your mom, it will get better, oh Maia." They sat there for what felt like hours and probably was hours, when a buzzing lit up the silence. It was Maia's mom, texting to find out where she was.

"I'd better go," she sniffed, pulling out of the embrace, "Mom will be freaking out by now."

"Okay, let's get going." It was still light outside, but only just. Clary could see that twilight was just around the corner – the sun burned low and bright in the sky – so she quickly said goodbye to Maia and hurried off home. It was bad enough having to walk home on her own after her Mom, she would not in the dark. It would only take her ten minutes, she hoped.

…...

Simon skated backwards, dragging Izzy along. She screamed in delight, lost her footing and swung around him. He pulled her upwards away from the ice and held her close, spinning around as he did so. The ice rink was nearly empty at this time of day, and he had been messing about with Izzy for a couple of hours now without anyone giving him looks or shouting at him for being out of control. As promised, she was loving it, even if she was absolutely awful and fell over every two minutes, often pulling him down with her. This happened again now, and they ended up in a heap, with them sprawled in a messy tangle of limbs and her dark hair, standing out bold against the ice. Simon leant over and kissed Isabelle softly on the lips.

"Shall we get out of here?"

"Yeh, why not? How about a coffee somewhere?" Simon smiled at her, and shakily got to his feet – falling over this many times in an hour had to be terrible for his ankles. Grabbing her hands, he dragged her up after him.

"I know the perfect place.

A few minutes later, and Simon was leading a curious Isabelle into his favourite haunt – Java Jones. He had used to come here a lot with Clary, before their mom Jocelyn had been killed. Now Clary was too scared to walk the streets at night, even with Simon, and since visits seemed to take a very long time, it normally was dark by the time they were ready to leave. It was nice to be back here again, and he only hoped that Izzy would like it too.

They settled down in a seat next to one of the grimy windows, well out of the way of the normal crowd of the place, and Izzy picked up one of the peeling laminated menus, studying it carefully.

"Do you know what you want?" Simon asked after a few moments. Isabelle set the menu down.

"Just a cappuccino." Simon nodded and wandered over to the counter. Isabelle took a moment to look around. The place was small, and had the cosy feel of a place that people kept returning to for a long time. It was very peculiar. The wallpaper was slightly faded and most of the rugs and chair covers were threadbare, but she liked it. It felt … comfortable somehow. No wonder Simon liked it.

He came back over now, setting down the cups of steaming liquid on the polished table in front of them. Izzy picked up a sachet of sugar and sprinkled it carelessly over her cup.

"So, you like this place?" Izzy nodded.

"It's cool. I didn't think I would, but, it's…it's nice." Simon laughed and took a sip of his coffee. Izzy blew on her own several times before taking a drink.

"You know what would make it even better?" She said in a sweet voice.

"I have an idea…" Simon said, and before he knew it Isabelle was kissing him, full on the mouth. She wound her fingers into his hair, feeling the soft curls underneath them. He circled her with his arms, gently, pulling her closer to him. She smiled against his mouth, and drew back just a little bit. Simon stared into her dark grey eyes. They looked like the sky in the middle of a storm.

"Was that it?" Simon asked. Isabelle just laughed and leant in again, pressing her lips to his. They sat there for a while, wrapped in each other's arms, and for that time everything was just right with the world.

…

Jace stared at Alec across the wobbly metal table. His friend had been a little bit fidgety all afternoon, and now proved to be no exception. As the two of them waited for their coffee to arrive, Alec was picking at the sleeve of his sweater and staring right at Jace, although his cloudy eyes suggested he wasn't really with it.

"Are you going to stare at me all day? I mean, I know that I'm stunningly attractive, but really?" This seemed to snap Alec out of his reverie. He blinked and shook his head.

"No, I was just thinking…"

"Just thinking about what exactly Alec?" Alec went red immediately. Jace shook his head and smirked.

"You're thinking about that new kid Magnus, aren't you?" Jace didn't think it was possible, but Alec's face went an even darker crimson.

"What is going on between you then?" Alec looked as if he was just about to answer, but just then the waitress at Taki's, a blue eyed blonde bimbo by the name of Kaelie, cam past and deposited their drinks down. Jace sighed as she winked at him. Kaelie had been trying to seduce him for months. It hadn't been working.

"Talk about bad timing. Would you care to continue, Alec? I haven't got all day to watch you turning into a beetroot." The boy's throat seemed to free up, and he finally answered.

"He's nice, Jace, that's all. He's just a friend. Hell, how am I supposed to know, I've barely known him a day." Jace smirked again.

"Are you sure? Because I could have sworn there was something… more, you know what I mean?" Alec glared at Jace, but behind the steely gaze, Jace could see something else – fear?

"I don't know what you mean…" Alec spluttered.

"Alec, I know. I'm your best friend. I figured it out." Jace responded. "Not that it matters to me! God Alec, I don't have an issue with it!" He added hastily, seeing the look on Alec's face. Seeing the genuine tone in Jace's voice, he relaxed a little.

"Maybe Jace, but I really don't know. Just now it's nice just to have someone else to talk to while you're off with your popular mates. Don't think I don't notice. You'd much rather be with them than me. I'm just a burden to you." Ouch. That stung.

"Well, if that's how you feel…" Jace stood up abruptly and pulled on his coat, turning towards the door,

"Jace, wait, I didn't mean it like that…" But Jace had already gone out of the door and was stalking along the street outside, huddled against the wind. Alec couldn't tell if he was annoyed, or upset, or what. Jace had put on a blank that even he couldn't read. And Alec could always read Jace. _Shit_, he thought, and raked his hands through his hair, yanking it so hard that he nearly pulled clumps of it out, _what have I done?_

…...

Jace sat with his head in his hands. _Alec is right, _he thought, _I do just leave him. By the angel I'm a crap mate. _Jace was perched on a decrepit old bench on the opposite side of the street from his house. He came and sat here sometimes when he needed to think, when he needed space from everything. Damn he had messed up. He had screwed up good and proper. Now Alec must hate him, Izzy was never that well acquainted with him anyways and the jocks he hung out with – they only liked him because he went down well with the girls and was good at football. And Jace wasn't even allowed to pursue the girls who chased after him. That sucked hard.

Jace was feeling so messed up that he barely noticed the wind picking up, swirling in deafening gusts that blocked out most of the sounds around him. He was just staring straight ahead of him, lost in thought, barely noticing anything. Alec was as close to him as a brother. The only one he had let in. Well, now he had probably ruined all of that. Great. His vision was blurred, and he could barely pick out the details of the image in front of him. Was it the wind slamming into his eyes, or tears? Jace couldn't be sure. He wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve. He was Jace Herondale. He would not cry.

Lowering his arm, his vision became immediately clear, and he could see her again. The pretty girl with the flame red hair. She was walking down the path towards him, looking awfully nervous, twitching and hugging herself. She seemed to be in a hurry. Now she was a bit closer he could see those eyes. They were like green emeralds on her porcelain face, paling under the cold wind. They were enchanting. Jace could barely keep his eyes off her as she walked past him to cross the road. Jace could feel trickles of coolness running down his face again, and his vision becoming hazier every second, but his eyes remained locked on the girl as she began to cross the street.

…

Clary huddled herself against the strong gusts, and sped up her pace. She just wanted to get home now. It was close to getting dark and she didn't want to be caught out on the streets later on. She was staring straight ahead, noticing nothing in her peripheral vision. She was walking the way she always had done, but it didn't seem quite the same without Simon. Or maybe it was just because she hadn't walked this way this late for a long time. Just up ahead she saw a hunched figure with it's head in it's hands. She looked away before she could assume anything. Assumptions were always her downfall.

She had reached the place where she normally crossed the street. Sighing, she stepped onto the road and continued onwards. She didn't notice the car until it was a few metres away. The driver was on the phone and hadn't noticed her. She tried to move but her muscles were paralyzed. She couldn't. She closed her eyes, trying to brace herself for the impact. She felt something smash into her hard.


	4. Consequences

_**Hey guys, so this chapter we're gonna get Clace, some of the Frays, and maybe some Alec as well.**_

_**I would really appreciate it is a few more of you guys could review! Tell me what you think! Give me some suggestions! What sort of things do you want to come up/happen? I'll try and include your suggestions but I can only do that if you review! Please do.**_

_**I've tried to make this a really long chapter, so sorry for not updating sooner!**_

_**Thanks for reading!**_

_**Lu xxx**_

* * *

Clary gasped and felt her face slam into the ground. She opened her eyes wide, seeing dots. Agony was shooting up her left arm and she could feel the skin soaking through with something – blood? There was something heavy on top of her, pressing her into the ground. As if it was in the distance she heard the car streak past. She sighed in relief, and started to relax into the ground before she felt someone pulling her up and half dragging her onto the sidewalk.

"What… who… what's going on?" She asked, dazed. The hands that had been holding her up had let go, and she felt her knees give again. Her vision was dotted and she couldn't quite make out who was catching her as she fell.

"My name's Jace. You were about to get hit by a car, so I pushed you out of the way. You took quite a knock to the head, and you've got a cut on your arm." Clary whimpered and fell further into Jace, feeling something sticky on her arm. "Don't worry," He added, as if sensing her distress, "There may be a lot of blood, but the cut isn't very big. Nothing a band-aid can't fix." Her vision was starting to fix itself, and concentrating she saw the boy holding her up. He had a halo of golden curls framing his face and equally golden eyes which were looking down at her. They were brimming with concern.

"Thank you so much, I just couldn't move, it was like my muscles wouldn't let me…"

"It's fine," Jace interrupted, "I couldn't just sit and watch you get hit like that! I would have hated myself even more." Clary's face screwed up as she tried to recall something – her thoughts were slow and clouded. She seriously needed a painkiller, and about ten litres of water. Her mouth was bone dry and she felt like someone had shoved a hedgehog down her throat. Suddenly it dawned on her.

"You were sitting on that bench weren't you? You looked upset…"

"Yeh, well, I haven't had a great evening. What's your name anyway? I didn't quite catch it" Clary hesitated – Jace was a complete stranger, and for all she knew he could be in his twenties. Still, she knew his name, so how much could it hurt? And he was gorgeous. She smiled.

"I'm Clary. Clary Fray. Pleased to meet you, Jace." He smiled at that, and helped her get to her feet properly. She was still feeling pretty rough, and like someone was grating at her throat, but the throbbing that had been killing her arm was gone and her head had stopped pounding as much. She was relieved to find that she was able to stand up without collapsing again or having to grab onto her golden saviour. She sighed. Twilight was nearly painting the sky violet, and she did not want to be outside when it did. She wasn't confident enough for that yet. Her mother had died because it was dark.

"Well, I'd better be going, got to get home before dark or my step dad Luke will freak." She said. She had lied about Luke wanting her back, but she didn't want this boy to think she was a coward. She doubted he would understand, and besides, she had just met him, and the incident – that was private.

Jace looked a little disappointed.

"Are you sure you'll be okay to walk home then? I mean, if you want I could help you or…" Clary shook her head.

"I'll be fine. Thanks again for…" But Clary didn't get to finish her sentence, because at that moment Jace had wrapped his hands around her waist and slammed his lips against her. Clary stiffened at first, but then relaxed into his arms, kissing back furiously. She had no idea what had taken over her, but all she knew was that she wanted Jace more than anything. Their kisses grew in passion and hunger, Clary moaning in the back of her throat against his mouth. He smiled against her and held her closer still. Then, as suddenly as the kiss had begun, it ended.

* * *

Jace pulled back, shocked. He couldn't believe he had done that. With a complete stranger. In front of his house. Crap. He stared down at the girl – Clary, her name was Clary. She was wild eyed, her hair tousled where he had wrapped his fingers through it. She looked confused and hurt even, staring up and down his body. As if from a distance, he heard her calling his name. He stared down at her – she was quite short – and interrupted whatever she had been saying.

"I am so sorry, Clary."

"I … what?" She clearly hadn't been expecting that.

"I am so sorry, Clary I should never have done that to you, I'm… I'm so sorry." Jace turned on his heel and ran back inside, slamming the front door and breathing hard. He should not have done that. He shouldn't have. Right outside his house too. He was in so much trouble, he couldn't bear to imagine. Jace slowly slid down the door, sobbing into his hands again. Why did everything have to get messed up like this on one evening?

Jace heard footsteps in the hall, and looked up to see his father standing over him. Jace scrambled to his feet hastily. He hated his father to see him like this, weak. Stephen Herondale had even trained Jace, his own son, to hide his emotions before he turned seven. At the time Jace had thought that his father seeing him crying would be the worst moment of the evening so far. He couldn't have been more wrong.

"What was that?" Stephen barked. Jace wiped his eyes with his sweater.

"Father, I shouldn't have been crying, I know I…"

"Not that." Stephen interrupted, "Outside. I want to know what you doing outside just then." Jace blanched. Now that his vision was sharpened he could tell just how furious Stephen was beneath the façade.

"What have I said about girls?" Jace began to shake.

"Father, I…"

"What did I say?! What did I say?!" Stephen was purple, practically screaming at his son.

"Father, I am so sorry I…" Stephen grabbed the front of Jace's t-shirt.

"You love them, you destroy them. I forbade you, and you have broken my trust! And you are going to regret that _my son_!" Stephen kicked out at Jace, his foot connecting with his ankle hard. Jace cried out in pain, unable to help himself, as agony shot up his leg. He felt the ankle give way and he collapsed to the floor. But his father wasn't done. He continued to pummel Jace with such a fury that Jace would terrified that he would never stop. Jace screwed his eyes up and curled in on himself, totally helpless as his father attacked.

For a moment the thumps ceased. Jace opened his eyes to see his father crouching over him, nearly foaming at the mouth. He was a frightening man normally, and right now – the terror Jace was experiencing is indescribable.

"You will never cross me again, son." And then Jace felt something connect with the side of his head, and an overwhelming darkness swallowed him up, until it devoured him entirely.

* * *

Clary just stared. She had been left hopelessly confused as Jace had rushed back inside, as if someone had punched her hard in the stomach. But just as she was trying to contemplate what had happened in the last ten minutes or so – because let's face it, a lot had happened, a lot – she noticed the sun. It danced on the horizon, winking at her. She gasped, and began running. You can't outrun the light. Or the darkness of night. But Clary was going to give it her best shot.

She just managed to get into the family brownstone as the light faded from the sky. She slammed the door shut and leant against it, panting. Luke was just coming into the hallway, and seeing Clary he ran forward, concerned. Jocelyn's death had affected them all in different ways, and it had made Luke paranoid about Simon and Clary's safety.

"Clary, by the Angel, are you okay? I was so worried when you weren't home, I'm mean I knew about Simon but you didn't call… " Luke pulled her into a hug, worried.

"God, yeh, I'm fine Luke, I just got held up at school, Maia was really upset and…"

"Okay. As long as you are fine." Luke drew back… and saw the blood on her arm.

"Oh my God Clary what happened?!" Her stepfather grabbed her arm and began to turn it over, panic flooding his features.

"I just fell over; I was in a rush to get home before dark… the cut isn't very big. Nothing a band-aid can't fix." Clary finished the sentence mirroring Jace's words. They seemed appropriate. Luke sighed and held her at arms length.

"Okay then. But you're going to have to let me clear you up I'm afraid." Clary smiled, if a little weakly, at Luke. He worried so much about her so much, it was so sweet. Luke may not have been her biological father, but he was her dad in all the ways that counted.

Clary let Luke gently lead her to the bathroom and sat her down on the edge of the bath. She watched calmly as he grabbed one of the fluffed up towels off of the rail and ran it under the tap. Once it was soaking Luke gently pulled off Clary's ruined jacket. Clary winced. The cut might not have been big, but it hurt a lot. Luke dabbed gently at Clary's stinging wound with the towel until all the blood and grit was off. The bleeding had pretty much stopped but Clary still felt faint looking at it. She tried to calm herself, determined not to go back to the state she had been in with Jace. _Crap,_ she thought, _I must have looked like a complete idiot back then._ But there was not time to worry about that, because at that exact moment she felt a sharp pain stab back up her arm. Staring down she saw Luke rubbing a bit of antiseptic into the cut. Luke met her gaze, and grimaced.

"Sorry, I know it hurts, but we don't want you getting any infections." Clary nodded, biting her lip. Luke finally drew the cotton pad away from her, and popped a band-aid over the cut. Smoothing down the edges, he stood up. When Luke got up, it never looked like it took effort, like with other people; it was just one smooth move up from the crouch. Clary wondered how he had learnt to do it.

"All done." Luke pulled her into a hug. Clary loved it when Luke took care of her. It made her feel so safe. And these days it took a lot to make her feel that way. Clary hugged him back.

"Thanks Luke." Luke smiled at her, then leant down and grabbed her jacket. It was covered in dirt and dried blood, with a massive gash up the sleeve. Clary could see why Luke had been worried. She must have looked a right state.

"I'm just going to go chuck this out," he said, "I have a feeling you won't be wearing this again."

"No, probably not." She giggled. Clary was glad Luke's tone was light. She didn't want him constantly fretting over her, not with everything else he had to deal with. She waited for a few moments after he had wandered out of the bathroom before she followed. She came out into the hallway just as Simon crashed in through the door, a grin plastered over his face. He looked up and saw her there. He gulped, and the guilty expression that had spread over his features only increased when he saw her arm.

"Oh, by the Angel Clary, I'm sorry; I shouldn't have left you on your own! What was I thinking?" He ran his fingers through his hair, looking distraught. "Who did this to you? What happened?" Clary held out a hand and placed it on his shoulder reassuringly. He looked destroyed.

"Simon, you are overreacting! It's just a cut! And…" Now it was Clary's turn to gulp, "And it's time I faced up to this. I can't keep going around with you for the rest of my life. I think I needed today to prove to myself that I am safe. That… what happened to Mom was a one of. That those men are gone. They aren't coming back." _Neither is she. _Clary's cheeks were wet. She was crying. She looked up and saw that Simon was too. Clary fell against Simon, sobbing into his chest. Simon wrapped his arms around her, his face buried in her flaming hair.

"I just…I just m-miss her s-s-so much, Simon, I, I…" She broke away, the tears soaking into his shirt. Simon held her tighter, his sons getting loader, as if he was losing control.

"I know, Clary…I…I do too." They stood like that for a long time, clinging onto each other for support. Luke watched from the kitchen doorway, sadness hanging like a cloud over his face. He wanted to comfort them both, to treat the sixteen and seventeen year olds like children again. But he could tell, read it from their body language, that this moment was totally theirs. That what they needed right now was each other and no one else. The pain might not go away, but they made it bearable for each other in this moment. And though it pained him to leave them like this, he knew it was what had to happen. So he stood watching in the shadows as the two broke down together, trying to come to terms with what had happened to Jocelyn.

* * *

Alec fell onto his bed, guilt racking his body. He had sat for a good twenty minutes in Taki's, face in his hands, filled with regret. It wasn't so much what he had said – deep down he knew that it was true and that it really had had to be said – but how Jace had reaction. Alec shuddered at the memory. He had looked destroyed, as if he had done something awful, something unforgivable. _It hadn't even been that big a deal, _Alec thought miserably. He had been shunned all of his life. He was an outsider; it was just part of his nature. Anyway, Jace was his best friend and Jace sometimes – okay a lot of the time – shutting Alec out of his social circle wasn't going to ruin that. _But I just have. _

Another spasm of guilt hit Alec and he curled up, trying to make himself as small as possible. The way he saw it, he was screwed. He was pretty sure Jace wasn't going to speak to him after this, judging by the way Jace had looked at him. He had looked hurt, as if Alec had ripped his heart out. And there was something else as well, something he hadn't been able to work in the other boy's expression. That was what scared Alec the most. In that brief moment when Jace had shown his emotions before blanking, Alec hadn't been able to read him properly. Alec hadn't been able to read him when he was raw and exposed. Maybe their friendship was suffering anyway. Maybe this was for the best.

Alec couldn't stop the tears from falling then. This shit stuff always happened to him. First getting shunned by his family all the time, then being bullied constantly until he was about eleven because he hadn't got many friends – Jace had gone to a different elementary school -and he was a bit… weird. More into books than sport. When Jace and Alec had gone to the same school in Sixth grade, the teasing and weird looks had stopped. He had had – well, he'd been in with the 'in crowd'. He had people to hang out with. And now Alec was pretty sure that was gone, along with Jace. Alec ran his hands over his head and yanked at his hair. What would happen? Would he get bad again? Jace had helped him through his last bad spell, had helped him keep it from his parents? What would happen if he got worse? His parents dragging him to the doctor's? Medication? Would he get committed? Alec knew he was catastrophizing, but he couldn't help it. He needed to just talk to someone. But who? He couldn't talk to Jace; that was the problem. He couldn't speak to Iz; he would never be able to wake her up. Then who? Suddenly it hit him. Still sobbing, he dialled a number into his phone.

"Alec?" The voice sounded muffled, as if the person had just woken up. Alec glanced at his watch. It was 1 am. He must have been lying here for hours. It felt as if it had only been minutes.

"Alec? Is this a wind up?" The voice repeated, annoyed.

"Magnus. Hi. I…I need your help."

* * *

Isabelle had been lying awake for hours, running over her afternoon spent with Simon. It had been great. They had gone ice skating, which she'd been absolutely terrible at, but had been fun anyway because he had been patient and kind. And then he had taken her to this little run down coffee shop that didn't look like much but clearly meant a lot to him, and they had served her the best cappuccino she'd tasted in a very long time. And then… and then she and kissed him. Or he had kissed her, she couldn't remember which. They had sat in that little window for a long time, totally together. Since then, everything had seemed rose tinted to Izzy. Simon walking her home, kissing her again on the doorstep before walking away into the dark. Telling her mom over dinner. Isabelle smiled at the memories. She knew she should have been sleeping – she had school tomorrow, or maybe today, she had no idea what time it was – but she couldn't. She just couldn't. Sighing, she pulled herself off of her bed and slipped out of her bedroom door. She needed a drink.

She padded down the hallway, trying not to wake up her parents or her little brother Max. Alec wouldn't be disturbed, he slept like a log, so when Izzy passed his room by the stairs, she was walking loudly and nearly didn't him. Seeing that the door was open, she peered in – and gasped. She had never seen Alec like this. He was curled up; phone pressed against his ear, sobbing heartbrokenly. Isabelle could just about hear the phone ringing and an irritated voice answering. She strained to hear more of the conversation. This was bad. This was very bad. She'd seen Alec like this before, but he'd gotten through that. She didn't think he would get _worse._

"By the Angel." She whispered, as Alec began to break down.

* * *

Magnus picked up the phone, pausing to look at the caller ID – who would be calling at one in the morning? Alec. The guy had barely known him a day and he thought it was acceptable to ring Magnus at this hour? He needed his beauty sleep. But the phone kept ringing, so he accepted the call. This had better be good.

"Alec?" No response. Magnus wondered if Alec was messing with him. Well, it wasn't funny.

"Alec? Is this a wind up?" Magnus repeated. He was really pissed off now. He was about to hang up when Alec finally piped up. _Finally, _Magnus thought – and then he heard the way Alec was talking.

"Magnus. Hi. I…I need your help." _Crap, _thought Magnus, _he sounds awful._

"Alec, what's the matter? Are you okay? What's happened?" Magnus could hear Alec sniffing. Was he… crying? Before he could ask Alec, the boy answered.

"I… I did something stupid. I've messed everything up. And I'm worried I'm gonna get bad again, and everything is just screwed up and…" Alec stopped talking, and the sobbing got worse. Magnus hadn't thought that possible.

"Okay, Alec, okay, can you… tell me a bit more… what's going on?" Magnus stuttered. He was really worried about Alec.

"It's, I've… I've messed up… with J-Jace, and, and I think… I'm getting b-bad again, a-and… and I, I don't k-know what t-to do…" Magnus was terrified now. He'd never had to deal with anything like this before. Ever. He had no idea what to do. He was jut going to have to calm Alec down.

"Alec, it's going to be okay. We can sort out whatever is going on with Jace. I can see how much you mean to the guy. You can work it out. It's going to be fine. I'm always here Alec, okay, just call me, we can fix this. We can sort this. It's going to be fine." Magnus could still hear Alec crying.

"Alec?"

"Thanks, Magnus. T-thanks f-for listening." There was a click. Magnus pulled his phone away. _Call ended._ Magnus sighed, falling back onto his pillows. He wasn't going to be able to sleep after this, he just knew it. He reached onto the bedside table, and placed the photo album onto his bent knees. It was half full of pictures of his former friends. Ones of him smiling with Camille, drunken parties at Raphael's. He flicked forward to the last photo he had in there. The sun setting over the lake. Him and Camille embracing, smiling. He hoped the rest of this album would be filled with happy memories like that. He flicked through the pages for a while until sleep stopped evading him and darkness began to swell up around him.

* * *

_**Sorry it's taken me so long to update, I've been trying to make the chapters longer. I'll try to update about once a week for you, but I have loads of **__**school work at the mo, so I'm not promising anything!**_

_**Lu xxx**_


	5. Aftermath

_**Heya! Okay, so last chapter was basically all the characters having rubbish stuff happening to them. Yeh. This chapter I've decided to be a bit nicer to them – or have I? Some might have some nice stuff, others might just have rubbish stuff. We'll see how my instincts take me. **_

_**Please review! I want to know what you think! What do you want to happen? Anything you'd like to see for a particular character? Any event? Anything? Review and I'll try to add it in.**_

_**By the way, in chapter 2 I know I mention Carstairs – obviously Jem, but this isn't a crossover, as many of you will know he is gonna be in City of Heavenly Fire. If you haven't got that from reading the teasers for the book, then do! If you have, you'll know what I'm talking about!**_

_**Also, I know that it may seem like Alec and Jace overreacted to their situation, but trust me, one sentence like that can cause a lot of problems. It has happened to me. So don't judge me for that.**_

_**Thanks for reading/being dedicated to (!) my fanfic! **__** (I appreciate that that makes me sound like a bit of an idiot!)**_

_**Lu xxx**_

* * *

Jace's eyes flickered open slowly. His head was pounding, but that was nothing compared to the agony his ankle was in. If Jace wasn't mistaken, his father had done some serious damage to him last night. Jace ran his hands through his hair. He should have had more common sense than to kiss Clary – she now had a name, not that that would do him much good after what had happened last night – well, he flirted with girls all the time, and had even kissed a few, but never where his father could have seen or found out. How could he have been so stupid? Jace realised his cheeks were wet. He raised his hand up. So he was crying, but the clear liquid on his fingers was tinged with red too. He was bleeding, or had been at least.

He glanced down at his watch. By some miracle the screen was still intact, and he saw that it was 6am, and Alec would be coming at 8. At the thought of Alec, Jace felt his chest tighten. Would he still come for him? He didn't know. He had really messed up big time, hadn't he. He really hoped Alec would pick him up, because there was not was he was going to be able to walk very far with this ankle – it was throbbing very ominously. No, that wasn't what he should be concerned about. He should be concerned that he had hurt his friend. That the situation was messed up, no, that he had messed up.

Jace struggled to his feet. He was going to have to clear himself up if he was going to let the whole incident last night go unnoticed at school – he was in a pretty bad state. As he stood up properly, he noticed a note taped on the wall opposite him. He reached over, painfully aware that his whole body was aching and realising he was going to have a harder job than he had first anticipated making out that nothing had happened. Jace snatched the note up and held it to the light streaming in through the window in the door.

_Jace,_

_You will not tell anyone about what happened last night, you understand me? No one. I mean it too. You snitch, and you'll realise how much more harm I am capable of inflicting upon you. You defied me. How dare you. And you have only just started to regret it. Pull off anything like that again and you'll get more than just bruises._

_I am going to be away for a couple of weeks. You will tell no one of this either. I am warning you now, you have two weeks to sort yourself out and get rid of this delusion that a Herondale can be with a girl. I won't allow it. If I find out that anything more has been going on…_

_Stephen Herondale._

Jace flinched. He knew that his father meant every word of that. He was going to have to be a lot more careful now. By the Angel, he couldn't go through last night again. That was too much for him to handle. Way too much. He tore up the note, and made his was upstairs very slowly. He was desperately struggling to walk on this bloody ankle, and he knew he should probably have gotten it checked out, but he couldn't alert anyone to any possible problem just yet. He would have to wait until he could come up with a realistic lie.

When he finally pulled himself into his en suite, and stripped off, he realised the true extent of the damage his father had done. He had a massive gash in his forehead, which his longish blond hair just fell over. There were a few more cuts on his arms, and bruises ringing his arms, legs and chest that made it looked like he had been squeezed in the tentacles of a giant octopus. He looked down at his ankle, suppressing a shudder. It was swollen and badly bruised. It must have been worse than he had originally thought. _Shit, _he thought.

Jace washed away as much of the blood and grime - he had acquired quite a bit from pushing Clary away from the car - as he could, but he couldn't wash away the purple splodges that decorated his body. He looked like he had some sort of virus. Sighing, he patched up the cut on his forehead with the largest band-aid he could find – a bandage would mean questions – and got dressed. Normally he would wear tight biker boots over his jeans, but his ankle screamed in pain when he tried to slip his feet into the boots, so he grabbed a pair of below the ankle converse and laced the right one up very loosely, to avoid any more pain. This only partly successful. Jace had worn jeans as usual, but a dark, long shirt instead of a short sleeved white t-shirt in the hope that the bruises wouldn't show through and the collar would hide the one on his neck. He threw on a jacket and tried to arrange his hair to hide his cut as much as possible before half hopping half limping downstairs. The day was going to be a real struggle.

* * *

Alec drew up outside Jace's house, nervous. He wasn't even sure if his best friend would want the lift, after what he had said last night. He rung his hands together, his palms sweaty. He was a right state. His eyes and cheeks were all puffy and red from last night, and he had purple rings to add to the impression that he was some sort of exotic fruit. Isabelle stared at him.

"Seriously, what is wrong with you? You look like you haven't slept, and you've clearly been upset by something, and to top it all of you look like you're waiting for a death sentence!"

Isabelle glared impatiently at him, her gaze fixed as if she was trying to read his thoughts.

"Iz, leave it. Just leave it. It isn't any of your business." Alec glanced nervously at the door. No sign of Jace yet.

"It is my business!" Isabelle's look softened. Now she just looked worried and sympathetic. "You are my brother Alec. I care about you. And I care about how torn up you are right now." When Alec just ran his hands through his hair, making it even messier, she continued. "I saw you last night. When you called Magnus. What's wrong with you?" This time the question was serious. No malice. No irritability. She was just concerned. Alec didn't answer her at all this time, just slouched back further into his seat and sighed. He looked over to the door again. It hadn't opened in the five or so minutes they had been waiting.

"We should go. Jace clearly isn't coming." Izzy rolled her eyes and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I know something happened between you two Alec, I heard enough of what you were saying to get that." Alec leant his head back, groaning. He was just thinking about how to reply to that when the front door of the Herondale residence creaked open. Both Izzy and Alec snapped their heads around to see Jace walking towards them, head down, bag thrown over his shoulders. As he got closer Alec could see that he was limping, and he wore a pained expression on his face. Something definitely wasn't right.

Jace reached the truck and pulled the door open. He grabbed onto the door frame and hauled himself up effortlessly before falling down next to Isabelle and slamming the door shut, a look of relief evident on his face. Then he turned to look at Alec and the expression changed. He looked awfully guilty, as if something was tearing him apart.

"Alec, about last night…" He broke off. Alec gulped.

"I am so sorry Jace, I should never have said that, you've always been there for me and I am being so ungrateful…"

"You were right." Jace interrupted. Alec stared at him.

"What?"

"You were right. I have been ignoring you at school; we haven't been spending as much time together and… and I am so sorry Alec. I've just been messing up. Can we try and sort it out?" Alec nodded nonchalantly, unable to believe his ears. He and Jace were fine. Nothing was wrong. So why did he still feel so crappy.

Jace was looking at him in a concerned manner, as if he wasn't sure that Alec was telling the truth. Alec hastily smiled at him, trying to prove that he really did want to fix whatever problems were going on. An irritable voice cut through Alec's reverie.

"Well, this is all very touching, but how about we, oh I don't know, get to school? I promised Simon I'd meet up with him before class." Alec sighed. For a moment he had forgotten that Izzy had been in the truck. He put his foot down on the accelerator and drove forward, barely able to concentrate on the road.

* * *

Jace slumped back into his seat in the truck. Well, at least the situation with Alec was going to be resolved. At least he hadn't messed up their relationship beyond repair. That was problem one sort of solved. Now onto the bigger issue - his ankle. The swelling hadn't gone down. It had gotten worse. Any hopes Jace had had that it was just bruising and that there wasn't anything seriously wrong had been crushed when he had walked out to his ride – he didn't know how he was even going to be able to stand up on it when he got to school. He was in big trouble.

He got more and more nervous as Alec drew the car into the park. He couldn't carry on like this all day. He would have to get it looked at eventually. He gritted his teeth as the car ground to a halt, creaking ominously. Alec had patched the thing up, but it was old and rusty. It could probably have broken down at any moment, but his best friend had been very good at keeping it on its wheels. Jace had to shoulder barge the door to push it open again, and was slowly levering himself down so as to not hurt his ankle too much more when he was thrown forward by a figure hurtling out beside him. Izzy. She was running off to a figure Jace could only assume was Simon, since all he could see next to the boy was a splash of red hair. Clary.

Jace landed hard on the ground – on his right foot. Agony flared up his leg and he crumpled to the ground, biting down hard on his lip to stop himself from screaming. Alec wandered around and noticed Jace on the floor swearing colourfully. He rushed next to the boy and crouched down.

"Shit Jace, are you okay? What's up with your ankle?" Alec stared down at Jace, his eyes filled concern. Something in Jace snapped, and without realising it he was shouting.

"BY THE ANGEL ALEC I AM FINE! DO YOU EVER JUST KEEP OUT OF THINGS?! DO YOU EVER ACCEPT THERE ARE THINGS YOU DON'T NEED TO KNOW?! MAYBE THE REASON I'VE BEEN IGNORING YOU IS BECAUSE YOU _CAN'T KEEP YOUR NOSE OUT!" _

Alec drew back, startled. There was hurt deep in his eyes, and something else. Some sort of despair that Jace couldn't quite locate. He noticed that the other boy was shaking uncontrollably, his face totally white. He stood up slowly, looking away from Jace. His hands were clenched into fists, but not in aggression – almost as if he was trying to control something.

"Well, if that's how you feel. I won't come by tomorrow, Jace. And you can make your own way home tonight." His voice was shaking badly. "All I've ever done is tried to be a good friend to you. If you're willing to throw that all away… maybe I' just fed up with you."

Alec stormed off, barely turning round as Jace called after him desperately. _Shit, _he thought, _what have I just done?_ He struggled up to his feet, leaning against the truck cab for support. He had just completely ruined his friendship with Alec with probably the biggest lie he had ever told someone he loved (The other lies he had just kept unsaid.). Why couldn't he have snapped to someone else? Finally lost it to one of the jock who would just let it blow over him. He had really hurt Alec. _Shit._

He stumbled towards the school entrance, green spots beginning to blur his vision as the pain in his ankle destroyed the meaning of the word unbearable. He barely noticed the short figure running towards him, flaming hair billowing out behind her. He had just reached his locker when his vision went totally black and he fell to the ground, clutching at the pain. He felt someone's hand on his shoulder, someone shouting for help as the world fell away from him like watercolors dripping down a canvas.

* * *

Magnus had gotten up super fast that morning purely to get to Alec sooner. He had even limited the glitter to his hair and eyes, with ripped black jeans and a fluorescent green and yellow top and a leather jacket. For Magnus, this was very limited, and he tried not to feel too self-conscious as he ran out of the door, swinging a messenger bag over his shoulder. He rushed through the streets, narrowly avoiding several cars as he sprinted across the roads. When he finally got to St. Xavier's, it was to see Alec racing away from his pick up. Something was very wrong. Magnus ran up to him, grabbing him by the shoulder.

When Alec turned round, Magnus gasped. He was shaking and snow white, trying desperately hard not to begin sobbing again. He looked broken. No, he looked destroyed. Like someone had just taken a mallet and smashed his heart into a million pieces. Magnus pulled him into a hug, and then held him at arms lengths, staring into those beautiful stormy eyes.

"Jace?" It wasn't so much a question as a statement. Alec stared back into Magnus's eyes, looking for some sort of reassurance. The boy nodded. Magus grabbed his hand and began to pull him away from the school building.

"Magnus, w-what are you do-doing?" Magnus noticed the shake in Alec's voice and turned round.

"You are not going to school today. Not today, and not in this state. You need a day off."

"Are you seriously going to m-make me skive, Magnus?" Magnus nodded energetically.

"Of course. We need to sort this out, and I cannot do that for you in," He glanced down at his watch. "Ten minutes. I'm gonna need a bit more time. So, you are coming with me, we are going to sit down over a coffee and talk about this. And then possibly feed the ducks."

"Why are you doing this for me?" Alec said in a small voice.

"Because I care about you." Magnus smiled.

"But you've only known me a day."

"And that is all I need to discover a truly good friend. And I have decided that you are going to be a really good friend. If you'd like. You look like you need someone." Alec began to get a bit of his colour back.

"I've never fed the ducks before. Jace has always been terrified of them. I have no idea why." Magnus smiled cheekily at Alec.

"Then you haven't lived." He grasped Alec's hand and pulled him through the gates of the school. This time neither of them looked back.

* * *

Clary had screamed for help as Jace had collapsed against his lockers. She had seen him limping, and followed him to ask him if he was okay when he had lost consciousness. Since then everything had been shut out except Jace. As if for a distance she heard someone calling for an ambulance, but all she was focused on was the slumped form of the boy who had saved her life last night. She scanned his body, her eyes finally falling on his ankle. It was swollen and bruised, it looked awful. She gasped, hands flying to her mouth. What had happened to him? Why had he been walking on that? Why hadn't he gone to the hospital sooner? Or anywhere?

She was vaguely aware of two paramedics pulling him onto a stretcher, wheeling him out of the building and into an ambulance. She ran after them, feeling people trying to pull her back but pushing past them. She was not leaving Jace to wake up on his own in hospital with people swarming all around him. Even though she barely even knew him, didn't even know his surname, she felt a duty of care for him. Maybe it was because he had saved her last night. Or because he had kissed her afterwards. Either way, it didn't matter, because she was definitely going with him. She clambered into the ambulance, the paramedic taking Jace's pulse not even trying to stop her.

"What's his name?" She asked.

"Um, Jace, his name's Jace, um, I think he is seventeen."

* * *

_**Okay, I was going to make this chapter longer, but I think enough said to be honest.**_

_**If I get to 10 reviews I'll try and update by Wednesday, if not then I might be a bit longer.**_

_**Lu xxx**_


	6. Decisions

_**Okay, in response to tessagreyherondale, more this chapter on why Stephen Herondale is like he is, but not everything yet! Got to keep some mystery. Maybe some more on Jocelyn as well, still deciding what happened to her… Or maybe I've decided.**_

_**Thank you for reading! Hopefully you will enjoy! **__** Please review!**_

_**Lu xxx**_

* * *

_ Jace walked in through the door smiling. Alec and his mom Maryse had just walked him up to the door, and he was looking forward to telling his step mom how much fun he had just had at the water park with his best friend – his father wouldn't be home yet. Whilst Stephen usually just grunted and pretended that he cared, Céline actually listened, and talked to him about it. Jace's smile widened. He loved Céline. She was always there for him, even when she was having one of her 'bad days'. Jace had always found his step moms 'bad days' peculiar, because she was sad for no reason and he wasn't allowed to tell his father. Ever. It was his little secret with Céline – because… Jace struggled to remember, but he was pretty sure he wasn't allowed to tell his father because he would blame himself. _

_ Jace stumbled along the hallway as he dropped his bag on the floor. Looking over his shoulder, he could see Alec just turning away from the door. Bag safely discarded, Jace ran the last few steps into the study, where Céline always was at this time in the afternoon. Swinging around the door frame, he was just about to shout that he was home when he saw her. She was lying in a pool of dark red liquid, angry slashes across her wrists. She was very pale, no flush in her cheeks. Jace didn't even need to check her pulse. She was dead. Jace screamed._

_ "Jace? Jace?!" The boy could hear footsteps in the corridor outside as Maryse and Alec responded to his cries, but he was frozen to the spot. He couldn't move. All he could see was the open, glassy eyes of the woman whom he trusted most in the world. He let Alec drag him away from her body as Maryse started dialling something into her phone. He could barely hear her panicked tones as he slumped against the wall, too shocked even to cry. He heard Alec say something, but he couldn't make out what it was. He felt the other boy's arm go around his shoulders, and leant onto him. _

Jace tried to push the memory from his head, like he tried to push the blackness, but it wouldn't go. He silently screamed, shouting for someone to help him, but unlike that day, nobody came.

* * *

Alec let Magnus pull him away from school in a bit of a haze. He wasn't really sure what he was doing, but what he did know was that all he wanted was to get away from school – no, who was he kidding. He just wanted to get away from Jace. At the thought of his once best friend he did a double take, back to his senses. He stopped abruptly next to Magnus, stiffening up. He hadn't really been looking where he was going and now he looked around, he saw that they were about five minutes away from school. He began to panic about not going to school, about what it could do – in fact he just began to panic about everything. He felt his chest constrict, his breathing becoming more labored. He felt Magnus clutch onto his shoulder as his vision became blurred, but he couldn't hold onto Magnus back - it was like he was losing control of every muscle in his body. He began to shake uncontrollably, as if he had been plunged into a bucket of ice water. He felt his knees begin to give, and whimpered.

"Alec? Are you okay? What's happening?" But Alec could barely breathe, there was no way he was going to be able to speak. Instead, using every ounce of control that he could muster he shook his head. Magnus sighed at himself. "Okay, silly question! What do I do Alec, how can I help?! What is going on?!" Alec raised his head to meet Magnus's gaze. There was a spark of panic in his eyes, and he looked confused, gazing questioningly at Alec, as if asking him again what to do but with his gaze. The boy look at a total loss, as if he really cared about Alec much more than he should of for someone who had only known him for a day if that. Maybe Magnus was like that with everyone. Alec summed up all his strength to utter out his next few words as he began to double over, clutching at his chest.

"I…just need…to…to sit down." Alec managed to rasp. Magnus nodded frantically, grabbing Alec's arm and holding it forcefully, mainly to keep Alec on his feet. The tall boy gently helped him stagger forward a couple of feet to a nearby bench and lowered him slowly onto it, bending over in front of him and grabbing his clammy hands in between his own. Alec found the heat surging through Magnus's fingertips vaguely comforting as he struggled to control his breathing. He was failing miserably, and this had to be the worst attack he had ever had.

"What's going on Alexander?" Magnus knelt down in front of Alec fully now as his chest wrapped in on itself harder. He refused to let go of the blue-eyed boy's hands, and Alec could almost swear that there was a spark of electricity flowing through him from Magnus, helping him to remain attached to the world.

The two of them stayed like that for a while until it passed and Alec felt his senses return to him. He opened his eyes as the muscles in his chest released their death grip – at some point he had squeezed them shut – and found two golden green orbs staring straight into them. Alec thought they were fascinating, a colour that he hadn't even known possible for humans to see. The colour shifted in them, flickering and glowing, just as his change with his mood. In them Alec thought that he could see right into Magnus. Even if he doubted that they were real and not contacts. He was curious, so he asked. Magnus laughed weakly.

"So you've just had what I presume is a panic attack and you want to know if I'm wearing contacts?" Alec nodded. He just wanted to get off the subject. He hated it when this happened, and he just wanted to pretend it hadn't happened, as this was the fastest way to get rid of the awful feeling that lingered all through his body, scratching into his bones. It was as if Magnus could tell what he was thinking, because he just nodded.

"Okay. And they're real. I don't know where I get them from though. None of my relatives have… I mean had them." Alec saw the hurt in his eyes, but didn't press the matter. He knew that Magnus wanted to keep of the subject in the same way that Alec wanted to keep off what had just happened. It was obviously something that hurt him deeply, and stayed with him lingering in the back of his mind all of the time. Alec knew the feeling. He had experienced it all too often.

"Lets just get out of here, do something fun." Magnus suggested, as a gloom threatened to descend over them both. Alec was relieved that Magnus just wanted to get on with stuff now. Whenever Alec had had a panic attack when he was around… around him, there had always been a massive fuss afterwards that just made Alec feel weak and stupid and basically a whole lot worse. That had been the last time it had gotten bad. Now it was getting bad again Alec was sure he had found someone who would really help him get through it. He smiled.

"Okay, why not?" Magnus's grin widened at this, showing slightly pointed teeth that reminded Alec of a cat. "Know anywhere good for a couple of skivers to hang out? I don't know the area yet." Alec flinched a little at the mention of skiving, again worrying about school. But that washed over him soon enough. He quickly racked his brains for any ideas.

"Well… there are a couple of good cafés…" Magnus held up a hand, silencing Alec. Several rings glittered on his elegant fingers.

"No, I'm sorry, not good enough. We are going to find something properly interesting, probably get a bit drunk, and make the most of a free day." Alec nodded hesitantly, thinking.

"Alright, but I need to be suitable to drive. I have to give Izzy a lift home after she has finished school." Magnus patted Alec on the shoulder in a way that just felt ominous in Alec' s opinion.

"I am sure we can do that. I only said probably, anyway."

"I have a feeling that there was no probably at all. You strike me as someone who likes to party. A lot." Alec looked at Magnus, feeling that he had inferred this pretty damn well.

"Damn, the man knows me already!" Magnus laughed.

"Magnus, I reckon anyone could get that. Just look at yourself." Magnus did just that.

"For your information, my dear, today I am rather understated. I normally apply a lot more glitter and at least three rainbows before leave the house." Alec raised his eyebrows, wondering why he had dressed down today. He was on the verge of asking, but then thinking better of it simply shrugged.

"Your choice I guess." Magnus really grinned at that - he loomed like the Cheshire cat.

"I'm glad you don't mind too much. My parents hated it." Magnus went a bit quiet at that. He even looked – uncomfortable. Alec hadn't thought that that was an emotion that could be associated with Magnus. He really wasn't sure if he liked it or not. It just didn't match Magnus. Or maybe it was just that Alec didn't want it to match Magnus. Either way, he just wanted Magnus to snap out of it. By a stroke of luck, he did.

"I don't like where this is going. Shall we just go?" Alec nodded in response. The boys stood up and began to wander off down the road, scanning the street for any possible entertainment. All the while Alec could feel the tension growing between the pair, until Alec felt like something was going to shatter. Naturally it was Magnus who shattered it.

"Right. That is it. This day is supposed to be fun. So we are going to have fun. No more moping about or feeling awkward." He looked around before dragging Alec off into a bar he had spotted. As they went in, Alec glanced up at the name of the place, even though he was pretty sure of it already. His concerns were confirmed immediately. The Hunter's Moon. This bar had a bad reputation. Crap. He tried to stop Magnus but the boy had already marched straight in. He grabbed Alec and yanked him in after him. Alec groaned inwardly and had no choice but to go into the very worst spot for him and Magnus to be.

The place was obviously a hole in the wall, full of biker types in ripped denim, with skin heads and earrings to match. As the two of them walked in and made their way towards the bar, Alec could feel the stares eating into them, stabbing at him from all angles. He gulped, and leant in towards Magnus's ear.

"We should get out of here Magnus, I mean it, they really hate people like us in here. Especially people who look like you. I've heard stuff about it. We are going to get crushed." Alec whispered, desperate to not be overheard.

"So they don't like this fabulousness?" Alec winced as Magnus blurted this out loudly and gestured to himself.

"No they really don't. At all. Please keep the noise down and try not to draw attention to yourself." Magnus gave Alec a dirty look. "Just trust me on this one. Please." They had reached the bar, and as the pair sat down Magnus turned to give Alec a look, but the stopped as he saw the serious, concerned expression on the other boys face.

"Okay." He nodded at Alec, then turned to face the bartender, an old man with a face coated in dirty white bristles, a baseball cap and a fag sticking from his mouth. He looked like the sort of person you didn't mess with. He growled somewhat at Magnus, but he didn't seem fazed. "Give us a couple of shots of vodka."

* * *

Clary stared down at Jace, his limp hand grasped in hers. She had been sat like this for longer than she cared to admit, determined to be there when he finally opened his eyes. She barely knew the guy, but on two occasions she had seen him - the previous night and then of course just before he had blacked out - he had seemed so broken, and this had drawn her in. She was determined to fix this boy, even if giving everything that was required to do so destroyed her. From her experience with him, he was the sort of person that deserved to be put back together.

Clary had been on her phone quite a lot that morning as well. Shortly after arriving at the hospital, whilst she was waiting for Jace to be patched up so that she could see him, she had received a call from a tearful Maia who had told her in such a heartbroken manner that Clary had felt her chest constricting that there was no way she was going to make it in to school that day. Clary had spent a long time doing her best to console by erratically placed calls all morning, all the while never leaving the bedside of the golden haired boy who still lay peacefully, his face slack and his body covered in bandages.

She looked down at him again now. Her eyes ran down his body to his ankle, encased in bandages and sticking out from the sheets of the pale blue hospital bed. It was too swollen for a cast, and the doctors reckoned it had sustained serious damage, whether from the original injury or the fact that he had been walking around on it. The thought of the injury almost made Clary cry - how in the name of the Angel had he managed to do this? What had happened? She felt her phone buzz in her pocket and drew it out to answer it, leaving her oblivious to the way Jace' s eyes were moving frantically under their lids as he lay trapped in the awful blackness.

* * *

Simon sighed and glanced around the canteen, looking for his fiery headed little sister. Isabelle sat opposite him, picking rather unenthusiastically at the salad she had picked up for lunch. As if noticing how fidgety he was, she grabbed his twitching hands in her steady ones and glared right into his deep brown eyes.

"Quit it."

"Quit what?" Simon replied, although he already knew what the answer would be. Isabelle scowled.

"Worrying about Clary. If you are really that concerned about where she is then call her. If you aren't, then just do what in an doing about Alec right now and ignore it, assuming that he is fine and that I really don't want to know what he is up to and simply getting on with it." Simon ran a hand through his curly hair and stared at Izzy. He couldn't tell whether she was angry, or whether she understood him, or what. She was very confusing.

He knew that he wanted to ring Clary, ask her where she was and whether she was okay or not - since his mom's death he had been terrified for her - but he wasn't sure what Izzy would think, whether she would be okay with it or be angry with him. He decided to ask.

"Would you mind if I rang her? It's just I'm so worried..."

"Simon. Stop. It is fine. I have siblings and I totally get it. Especially after what you have both been through with your mom... go ahead." Simon thanked her and she just nodded at him. He pulled his phone out of his bag and tapped a few buttons until it began to dial his sister's number. He waited anxiously, biting his lip as he heard he phone start to ring. She picked up on the fourth ring, and Simon almost swore in relief as he heard her voice echo out from the other end of the line.

"Heya Simon, what's up?" Clary said. He could tell that something wasn't good despite the fact that he tone was bright. _Too bright,_ he thought to himself. Time to cut to the chase.

"Clary where the Hell are you? It's already lunch and I haven't seen you all morning? Where have been? What have you been doing?" He broke off and heard Clary take a deep breath. This was becoming more and more ominous with every passing moment.

"Okay...Simon, don't freak but... I'm at the hospital."

* * *

"WHAT!" Izzy heard Simon yell. She stared at him, concerned. Panic was written all over his face, his hand beginning to tremble as he struggled to keep the phone against his ear. Izzy hearde girl on the other end quickly mutter a response, and she saw him visibly relax, which calmed her in return.

"Okay, but if it isn't you who is it?" Isabelle saw his brow furrow as he tried to process what he was hearing.

"Jace?" Without hesitating Izzy snatched the phone off of him and pressed it against the side of her face.

"Clary it's Isabelle. What has happened to Jace?"

"He broke his ankle and walked on it, so he has really fucked it up and knocked himself out. He also has loads of other bruises and shot. No one has a clue how any of it happened." Isabelle swore.

"Is Alec there? Does he know?"

"No and I don't know. Call him, tell him." Izzy didn't need anything more than that to persuade her. She frantically hung up and smashed her brother's number into Simon's phone as he boyfriend just stared at her from across the plastic table. Damn, she hoped he would pick up.


	7. Hopelessness

_**Well, I hope you enjoy this. Please don't hate me for what is going to happen. Just don't. It's a crazy idea, but I wanted to do this as a way of ... I don't know. Just don't virtually hurt me.**_

* * *

Maia sobbed silently as she sat on her bed, staring at the little packet in front of her. She couldn't believe she was about to do this. But no matter what anyone else did, life without the Jordan she had known seemed too unbearable. She couldn't do it. She couldn't. That was all there was to it. Not even her conversation with Clary, the friend who has always been there for her, had helped. She was staring into a dark oblivion of despair either way, and it would be better if she didn't have to feel it as the ice dug into souls. She knew she was being selfish. She knew that this was going to do a lot of damage to a lot of other people. But she deserved to be selfish when she had spent the entirety of her life living for other people.

Except for with Clary. She had never just been used by Clary. As much as she had been there for her best friend, her best friend had been there for her. And Clary had been through so much these past two months, it was almost too much pain to imagine what more she was going to add to that. That would be her biggest regret in the few moments she had left. That and not being able to say goodbye to her. But there was only one person she was going to say goodbye to. She typed a text into her phone. Her note. As soon as it was confirmed as sent she downed the entire packet of pills that she had obtained from that dodgy dealer. His name was her last thought as blackness swallowed her. Ragnor.

* * *

Jordan sat alone at one of the tables in the packed canteen. He hated Annamarie with every fibre of his being. She had done this, and now he was just blaming himself ripping his hair out. He felt goddamn awful, and he just wanted to punish himself as much as possible, so he had isolated himself from everyone, even those who had believed his story of what had happened. He hated himself, and he didn't think he would ever stop doing so.

Just as he placed his head in his hand for the twentieth time in about an hour, his phone went off. His eyebrows shot up his forehead. Who would want to be texting him after the events that had unfurled the previous day? He drew the mobile out of his pocket regardless and checked the screen. It was Maia. Another wave of guilt punched him in the chest as he opened up the text.

**Jordan, this is my note. That is what people do, isn't it? They leave note. Mine is to you. I can't live in a world where I don't have you as I loved you. Where you are some cheating liar. When I know that everything you ever said was untrue, when I know that you lied every time you said you loved me. Have a nice life and forget me Jordan. Because this is the end of mine. Goodbye.**

A wave of dread passed over Jordan. He swore loudly, a stream of colourful curses flying from his mouth like ribbons as he dialled 911. He knew people had begun to stare at him, but he didn't give a shot. Maia was about to kill herself. She was about to commit suicide, and it was all his fault. Tears began to fall down his cheeks, and he made no attempt to stop them.

"Ambulance please. It's my ex, I think ..." Jordan's voice broke, "I think she is about to try and kill herself." What happened next was a blur. The hurried questions from the operator, then the extended beep as they had hung up. The way the world had stopped as he hadprocessed what was going on. Jordan curled in on himself, unable to take it anymore. His knees hugged to his chest, his face buried into them, he broke down right in the middle of the canteen, regardless of the gradual amount of attention he was attracting.

* * *

Alec's day up to that point had been crazy, fun and well... odd. It had started off when Magnus had gotten them kicked out of the Hunter' s Moon. Alec had stopped after a single shot; his head had begun to feel a bit fuzzy, and he didn't really want to get pissed. Magnus, on the other hand, hadn't wanted to stop. After the third he had started singing some very odd song that Alec could have sworn he had read somewhere, something about a hedgehog and how it couldn't be buggered. This had drawn some unnecessary attention, in particular a punch aimed at Magnus's face. He had dodged it and Alec had dragged him out of the place before the situation could escalate.

Then Magnus had dragged Alec to the edge of a pond, still drunk, and pointed to a massive swarm of geese swimming in the shallows. He had proclaimed that they were in fact ducks, and that he was their king. He had tried to wade through the waters to them but instead had fallen straight in, getting completely soaked - and irritating about hundred angry birds.

A now sober Magnus and Alec had sprinted through the park away from the stampede of geese, escaping finally by climbing up a tree. They were sat up there now, Magnus ringing out his hair and chatting energetically to the other boy.

"That was fun."

"I see your definition of the word fun is similar to Isabelle' s."

"And what is that."

"Something crazy that almost gets us into a lot of trouble. No scratch that, that sticks us right in it."

"Alec, how are we in trouble now?" Alec raised an eyebrow and pointed downwards. Many of the geese had wandered off, but there were still a fair few hissing up at them. "Okay, point taken." Magnus got back to work on his hair and Alec took the opportunity to gaze around the city, taking in the skyscrapers and endless streams of traffic and sirens hurrying around like ants. This was what made the city live. The constant movement, the kinetic energy flowing all the time, even in the dead of night. Not the bright clubs and vivid nightlife. Although he was sure Magnus would disagree.

Alec was snapped out of his reverie by a ringtone. His ringtone. Sighing, he grabbed his phone and stared at the screen. Unknown number. He was about to reject the call when Magnus reached over and pressed the answer button. Alec gave Magnus a look, but he just shrugged.

"It was annoying me." Alec rolled his eyes and brought the phone up to his ear.

"Who is this? What do you want?" He said irritability.

"Alec, it's me Izzy, I'm using Simon's phone. Where are you? Are you at the hospital? How is he?" She sounded frantic.

"I...Izzy...what? No I'm not at the hospital! Why would I be? What do you mean how is he?"

"Oh shit. You don't know, do you?" Alec sighed, thoroughly annoyed now. Iz was among even less sense than usual.

"Evidently not."

"It's... it's Jace. He passed out, and they reckon his ankle is really bad, and... yeh. That's all that Clary told me, she went with him to hospital... you know, Simon's sister?" Alec wasn't listening. He had stopped listening when he had heard that Jace was hurt. He had just frozen, like a movie on pause. It was a miracle he hadn't fallen off the branch. He ended the call as Izzy called out his name, surprised that his numb fingers were obeying his brain. This was all his fault. All of it. Magnus grabbed his shoulder, and Alec realised he was holding him up. Stopping him from falling in more than one way. Alec fell weakly against the tall boy's shoulder, terrified and broken.

"We... Magnus, Jace is in hospital. Sounds...Sounds like it is... is pretty bad. And it's. It's all my fault. Mine. I could have stopped him from walking on that ankle. Pressed him about the bruises. Hell, I could have driven him to the emergency room this morning when I first noticed something was up. And now, because I didn't, we had a fight an now he is unconscious, probably never wants to see me again, and it's all my fault. Even though he has been awful to me. I hate him. But I feel so guilty." This all came out in around thirty seconds. Magnus didn't know what to say to it, so he just sat there with Alec for a while, until they realised what time it was and began to find their way back to school. Luckily, the geese had decided to leave them alone.

* * *

Jace' s mind forced him to relive the memory over and over until he was finally woken by his own screams. He gasped and sat up immediately and quickly. Ignoring the dizzy felling he had obtained by shooting up so fast, Jace looked around. He was in a thin, uncomfortable bed with pale blue sheets. The room around him was white. Even the plastic chair next to him was a frosty colour. It looked very unwelcoming, as if he had just stepped into a tundra landscape - or woken up in one, in this case. He realised with a jolt that he was in hospital.

Just then a young nurse in pinks scrubs ran into the room, her white hair falling out of her bun, looking at him wildly. She looked panicked, and there was a thin layer of sweat glistening on her forehead. She looked straight at Jace, straightening up, and walked in a more composed fashion to his bedside.

"You're awake, good. Are you okay, we heard screaming..." Jace looked at the girls, dumbfounded.

"I'm fine... just a nightmare. A bad dream. Nothing more." The nurse didn't seem to be convinced that, but if she was sceptical she didn't voice it.

"I'm sorry, that must have been a bit startling for you to wake up to me making such an entrance." The nurse smiled warmly at him. "My name is Catarina. I've been looking after you since you got in this morning." Jace nodded. "Would you mind giving us your last name, Jace?" Jace looked right at her startled.

"Jaee Herondale. How did you know my first name?" Catarina looked at him as if confused, but then appeared to shrug it off.

"Your friend told us. Clary, I think her name was. Said she didn't know you brilliantly, only knew your first name, but that she hated the thought of you waking up alone in a strange place without an even slightly familiar face. Sat with you all day, she did. Refused to leave your side." Crap, Jace thought, she can't get attached to me. My father will kill me, and I'll destroy her. Just like my father said. I can't let this happen.

Jace glanced around to try and see if Clary was anyway nearby, but he couldn't see a speck of red anywhere, and let's face it, the blazing colour would have stood out a mile against the coldness of the room Jace was currently lying in. He gazed around more in confusion now. If she hadn't left his side all day, then where was she now? Catarina, as if realising what he was thinking (at least partially anyway) stepped in.

"Sorry, she left about half an hour ago. She didn't want to, if that's any consolation. She had to, needed to get home before her step dad realised she hadn't been at school or something."

"Oh." Jace felt disappointed even though he knew he needed to keep away from the girl.

"Now Jace, onto the reason you are here. It appears that your ankle is broken quite severely. I understand that you have been walking on it since you first injured it up until the point that you lost consciousness, is that correct?" Jace nodded.

"I honestly didn't think it was that bad." Catarina nodded and wrote something on a clipboard.

"Okay. Now we also noticed a large numbed of bruises covering your body. Since this could be a sign of abuse or assault, I am legally obliged to ask you as to how you received these injuries." Jace gulped, trying to quickly think of a cover story. His father was going o be mad enough that Jace had gotten medical attention, intentionally or not. He didn't need the police snooping around as well.

"I fell right down the stairs. Must have hit my ankle on something. That is honestly all that happened." Catarina looked dubious, but didn't further question him. She seemed to wan to trust people.

"Well Jace, you seem to be doin Well, so let me just sort out your insurance and then we can discharge you." Catarina slapped her clipboard and hugged it to her chest. "Your crutches at just on your goth there. If they are the wrong height feel free to adjust them. They will be yours entirely once we get this processed." And with that sue left the room, humming quietly to herself. Jace drew back the sheets. He was still dressed, but a blue cast encased his right ankle and lower leg. He ached all over.

Wincing, Jace swung himself around so that his legs were dangling over the edge of the bed. Every part of him ached. It was awful. He felt in his pockets - his wallet and phone were gone, and he had no idea where his bag was either. He was literally stranded without them. For a brief moment panic threatened to overcome him, but luckily as he glanced worriedly around the small room he spotted the bag leant against the wall underneath a low table right next to the bed. His phone and wallet rested on top of said table. Jace had no idea why he hadn't noticed any of this before - they were right next to his crutches. He decided to forget about it. Right now it was the least of his worries.

He shoved his two most precious articles into his bag, zipping it up as he did so. He swung the bag I've his shoulder, then reached over and grabbed the crutches, using them to help him get to his feet. He had just got used to the correct position and way to use them when Catarina bustled back in with yet another form attached to her clipboard. Jace was noticing a trend. She held it out for him, giving him a pen which he clutched in one hand whilst leaning heavily on the other crutch.

"Just sign there and you are free to go." Jace scrawled his signature on the line the nurse had indicated, and then carefully put the piece of paper detailing a check up in his pocket. He smiledat Catarina and thanked her as she led him out through a maze of blindingly white corridors and outside, before helping him hail a cab.


	8. Broken

_**Hi my dears. Welcome to the Chapter of 8. Today we are going to have a bit more Sizzy, as I feel like being nice to someone, a tiny bit of Malec, some Lightwood sibling stuff, Jace coming home and Clary finding about Maia and what later ensues. Enjoy, review, and continue loving the Mortal Instruments. Also, check out my new fic Broken Future. Tell me what you think!? Disclaimer; unfortunately, only the plot belongs to me, otherwise Malec would NEVER have broken up.**_

* * *

The rain had started to fall outside just after Izzy had phoned Alec - by the Angel that had been an awkward conversation - and had been getting steadily worse all afternoon. By the time the bell rang through the hallways, signifying the end of the school day, it was hammering on the windows in icy sheets as if it mean to break them. Isabelle groaned inwardly as she began to shove her books back into her bag. Why did it have to rain now? Why couldn't the high forces of Heaven waited a couple more hours before they decided to issue the pathetic fallacy of her brother?

She swung her bag over her shoulder, rising up from the hard plastic chair and stretching out her arms as the room slowly began to empty. She shook her head and scraped the chair back away from the desk, sliding out away from it and beginning to make her way towards the classroom door. Why? Just why? Her hair was going to be totally ruined. Then she got out of her shallow state of mind and began to swear, earning her a hard glance from Miss Trueblood as the teacher stalked out of the room before her. All the things in her bag were going to be ruined - it wasn't waterproof.

She filed out of the room last, since her seat was right at the back in the corner furthest from the door, and she sometimes took a while to get herself organised after a lesson - resulting in her being late a lot of the time. She was so absorbed in her own thoughts of how badly the ink in her books was going to run that she walked straight into someone, nearly falling backwards on the impact. She began to mutter apologies and raised her head to look at whoever it was that she had surely just pissed off. When she saw his face, she jumped back, startled. It was Simon. And he didn't look angry at all.

"Hey sugar. How are you?" Izzy smiled at him, allowing her hand to loop with his as he swung her around.

"I'm all the better for seeing you." She reached up and pecked him lightly on the cheek. He smiled, and swinging their hands between their bodies that pair began to walk towards the exit down the increasingly empty corridor. Izzy began to wonder whether Alec was giving her a lift home tonight after th little escapade he had pulled - if she couldn't get a lift, she would die. Probably literally, from hypothermia.

"Are you sure you are okay?" Simon asked, seeing the look on her face as they got to the double doors leading out to the car park. Izzy nodded.

"Just hoping I'm not going to get too soaked, that's all."

"You will not feel the rain at all my dear, for I have an umbrella!" Simon opened it up and dragged her outside after him, the clear plastic object shielding from the onslaught the heavens had decided to dish out. Izzy thanked him as they began to make their way to the pickup, which was thankfully there. Izzy could see two figures inside it, one unmistakably Alec, the other one looking like he could be Magnus. Izzy sighed as she drew up closer. When she was just outside the door, she kissed Simon hard on the mouth and then drew away, opening her door.

"Thanks for walking me out."

"No problem. See you tomorrow, Isabelle." She slid into the car next to Magnus and quickly shut the door so that no rain could get in. She watched wistfully as her boyfriend walked out of sight, and then turned to face Alec as he started up the engine. He looked awful, eyes puffed up, dark rings surrounding them, his hair tousled. She decided not to press that matter, but was curious about why Magnus was there. Luckily, Alec answered this before she had the chance to open her mouth.

"I said we'd drop Magnus off. I can't let him walk back in this." Isabelle turned to face Magnus instead, who inclined his head to her. She had heard about him from Alec a little that morning, and he seemed like a good one. She inclined her head towards Magnus, mirroring the action.

* * *

Clary quickly rambled off her address and a word of thanks to the cab driver and hopped onto the uncomfortable plastic covered seat. She was relieved that she had managed to catch a cab from the hospital at this time in the afternoon - she knew from experience that they very rarely picked up people from the building at two o'clock, especially when they didn't look like a recently discharged patient. Luckily, the guy who was taking her home must have seen how frantic she looked and decided to pull over for her.

The rest of the journey was reasonably uneventful and Clary only hoped that she would get home soon - she needed to get back before Luke or she would have some serious explaining to do, as she never had stuff on after school, and on the rare occasion that she was going to be late back she would tell him before she left in the morning, and if she had little warning, call or text him. When the cab finally drew up outside her house, she yanked the door open, and throwing the fee at the driver with a hurried thanks ran towards he house. She pulled open the front door and saw that Simon was just pulling off his coat, having clearly only just arrived back from school.

"Si, I'm sorry I wasn't back earlier, it took ages to hail a can and the traffic was awful..." Simon just shook his head and pulled her into a hug.

"I really don't care, Clarissa, as long as Luke doesn't find out and out are okay." Simon noticed how Clary winced at the name and swore.

"Shit Clary, I'm sorry, I should have thought..." Simon's panic was quickly cut off by sound of Clary's ringtone. She grabbed it out of her pocket and pressed the answer button, not bothering to check who was calling. Simon crossed his arms an ploughed off, knowing that Clary could end up spending hours on the phone.

"Hello, who is this?" She asked. She didn't really have the time for a long chat with someone like Alone today, who was really only a passing hello sort of acquaintance.

"Clary, it's Jordan." Clary felt herself freeze up, and when she responded it was through gritted teeth.

"You have two seconds before I hang up." She was not in the mood. She hated the guy for what he had done to Maia, she had made that perfectly obvious, and now he was ringing her up. Why? To rub salt into the wound and ask Maia's best mate out? Clary hoped not.

"Clary, it's Maia, she..." Jordan's voice cracked. Clary said the next word in a low growl - he had no right to sound broken.

"She what?" She heard Jordan breathe in deeply.

"Clary...She...She tried to...She tried to commit suicide." He finally managed to stutter. Clary felt the phone drop from her ear, and heard it smash against the floor as her muscles spawned in shock. Maia had tried to kill herself. She could be dying right now. Clary should have been there for her more today. Focussing on her rather than a boy she barely knew. Now she was dying. Dying. Clary sank to the floor, sobs raking her body in silent spasms, her face buried in her arms, her back pressed against the wall in vague hope that it would support her.

Simon ran into the hallway after he smashing sound, and gasped when he saw the state his sister was in. He rushed over, crouching in front of her, staring as her ravaged green eyes raised up to meet his gaze.

"Clary, what happened? What is it? Clary? Clary?!"

* * *

Isabelle ran into the main hallway, kicking her shoes off and not really caring where they landed. A yellow glow hung in the room from the lamp lit chandeliers, and the high ceiling made it feel like the entrance to a church. She sighed, swinging her hair over her shoulder - a habit she had obtained when she was little - and began to walk up the spiral staircase leading to the upper floors of the grand house that her family lived in. The rich mahogany was gnarled with age and slippery with polish, and most people would have fallen flat on their faces had they tried to climb it at speed, by Isabelle had had years of practice and hopped up the tower-like staircase with ease. She reached the first landing of the never ending staircase and leapt onto a corridor, spinning around in circles on the points of her feet as she made her way to her room, giggling like a giddy schoolgirl who had just received her first Valentine's Day card. She had dated a lot before, but never had someone treated her like Simon did - like she was the most special person in the world, that she and not just her body was treasure. He was such a gentleman, actually caring for her and cherishing every moment spent with her instead of just being in it to be close to Izzy, to take advantage of her and then let her end it. Before, Isabelle hadn't minded that, had enjoyed it in fact, but now that she was experiencing how perfect things could be for her, she never wanted to go back. She was so happy it was unbelievable.

She twirled into her bedroom, kicking open the slab of a door open and spinning inside. The hinges should have groaned with rust and age, but instead the door swung open silently and with ease, the sign of regular oiling. There were many benefits to having high flying businesspeople as parents, and the massive house and doors were two of them. There were also major disadvantages, such as the fact that they were hardly ever at home and Alec had had to look after Izzy and practically raise little Max for years now. Izzy bit her lip. Their parents had gone away n this morning for about a month, and so it was back in to the usual routine. Max was the most difficult aspect of their parents being away constantly, but he was always dropped off and picked up by a school friends mom, so that wasn't really too much of an issue. But it still would have been nice to have her mom to talk to occasionally. Especially now, because she was damn concerned with Alec and she had no idea what to do, despite the fact that she was sure she would have to do something about the whole situation. It seemed too serious to simply ignore or leave be.

The girl flopped onto her bed in defeat. Why did the world have to make her upset and worried again when she had been ecstatic just moments before? She stared around the room. The walls were covered in gold glittering swirls that she had painted on herself (despite the fact that she had done this months ago her parents still hadn't noticed, and so no one had told her off), the vanity table was overflowing with makeup of all varieties, and all manner of rhinestones and sequins spilled across the bedspread and pillows. It was very Izzy, but her parents barely knew that. They didn't know their teenage daughter at all. In their mind she was still a ten year old who followed her big brother around like a sheep and marvelled at her tiny one. That was how much they knew her. God how the times had changed.

Isabelle needed a distraction, anything to cheer her up and just make her forget the world. She reached over to where her iPod was still jammed in its dock and put the music on the highest volume so that it blared out of the speakers, filling at least the first floor if not the entirety of the mansion with the Cab. The girl flipped up off of the bed with ease and danced around on the polished wooden floor, spinning her worries away into the flying tones. The music was so loud that Izzy remained oblivious to the door creaking open when Alec walked in from locking away the cat, the way it slammed shut behind him, and the crash of cutlery as one of the drawers in kitchen was ripped open. She was too immersed in the song to hear Alec pace up the stairs, barge into his room just behind him and lean against the door, breathing hard. She had no idea what happened next to her brother. If she had known, she certainly wouldn't have been smiling.

* * *

Jace rushed around his room, as fast as he could with only one functioning leg, gathering up his favourite possessions, his wash things, and all the clothes he could fit into the large green duffel bag. He was leaving. He couldn't stand another night in this house. Not after what his father had done. His only issue was where to go. He couldn't go to the Lightwoods' house, he had fucked up with Alec earlier and he had no idea how to fix the damage he had slashed into his best friend. He couldn't just wind up at Clary's house - he doubted her parents even knew who he was, and he had only met the girl once - maybe twice, if you counted her staying with him in hospital as a meeting. He could only think of one option, and that was mad. But it was the only option he could think of.

Stuffing his most precious items - the Herondale necklace that both Celine and his biological mother Amatis had worn, photographs of his family and the Lightwoods and his worn antique version of 'A Tale Of Two Cities' - into his duffel, Jace stared out of the window. There was the spot he had first kissed Clary on, like there was no tomorrow, like he had wanted to for what felt like forever but had been in reality merely weeks. The path he had run up, terrified of what the awful act may go on to do to the girl. The door he had leant against, sobbing, realising what is father meant - to love is do destroy. The hallway where he had been brutally attacked by his own father, where he had screamed for him to stop as he had broken his ankle and decorated his entire body with painful cuts and ugly bruises. The deep navy blue tiled floor that he had lain upon unconscious as his father had walked out indifferently and abandoned him for weeks, not caring what damage he may have done. There was still blood on the floor downstairs - Jace had shuddered on his way in.

When he had finally crammed the duffel to the brim and pulled the zip to - not without a lot of difficulty - he hoisted it up onto his shoulder along with his school bag filled with all of his equipment and began to make his way painstakingly downstairs. It was very difficult on crutches, not as difficult as it had been for Jace to ascend, but it still took a good few minutes. Jace swung himself forward down the hall, past the crusted blood that was lying there, and out of the door. He shut the white slab behind him, locking the door and shoving his keys down the drain just outside - he never wanted to see them again. He hobbled down the path slowly and deliberately, not looking back for even a second.

* * *

Alec had felt oddly calm before, but now he was just a real mess. He felt totally and utterly destroyed. His breathing was getting faster and faster, the blood running to his face as he tried to control himself. That wasn't the only place the blood was running. Several trickles were making their way down his arm, covering his wrist and concealing there. His left hand was still clenched from when he had done it, the knife still gripped in the whitening knuckles of his right. Alec unclenched his fists, letting the blade drop to the floor, and pushed his head into his hands, wishing all of his emotional pain would just leave him alone. He sat there silently screaming until it was all too much and he just wanted to speak to someone. He picked up his phone and quickly dialled the only person he could think of. Luckily he picked up straight away.

"Why hello Alexander." Magnus said playfully, "How may I be of assistance?" He sounded pleased, and Alec was scared to ruin his happy mood. But it needed to be done.

"Hi, Magnus, can I... can I come over please?" Alec hated how he sounded so pathetic.

"Shit Alec, what's happened?!" Magnus's voice rose an octave, the panic clear in it.

"Please, Magnus, I'll explain everything but I just need to see you, please..."

"Of course, my address is on my Facebook, you have that right?" Alec nodded as he confirmed this, even though he was on the phone. It was one of his weird habits.

"Okay Alec, I'll see you in a bit." Alec hung up, then flicked onto Facebook. He never normally went on the site, preferring not to be forced into conversations with random people he barely knew, but by some stroke of luck he had been checking his account when Magnus had sent him a friend request last night. He flicked onto the other boy's profile and found out that he lived in the penthouse apartment in a converted warehouse just a few blocks away. It was close enough that he could walk.

Alec shrugged on his black leather jacket, swiped up his keys and began to make his way downstairs. He had just gotten out of the door and was slouching along the still brightly sunlit path when he saw his little brother Max run towards him. _Crap._ He had forgotten that the nine year old got home at that time. The boy jumped into Alec's arms and he swung him around, wincing at the pressure on his right arm but carrying on regardless. He set Max down and ruffled his hair affectionately.

"Hey Max!"

"Hi Alec! I've made a card for Mom in art class look!" Alec cursed as Max brought out a brightly colored piece of paper to show him. Max didn't know Maryse and Robert were away.

"Max sweetie, Mom and Dad went away again this morning. I'm sorry." Max looked crestfallen.

"I'm sure she'll love it when she gets back though." The smile returned to the kids face, and he gave his big brother another hug before running inside and shouting for Izzy. Alec himself managed a small grin - Max always had that effect on people - before running off around the corner towards Magnus's apartment. He needed to sort this out, if not for himself then for Max - he was pretty much his brother's father. And Magnus would be able to help him.

* * *

Jace made his way along the road towards Magnus's apartment building. He had found the address on the boy's Twitter account - he had had a choice of various social networking sites to find the information - and had caught a taxi to a nearby street as soon as he had left his home - no, former home. He was never going back there. He had had enough of his father's shot. That hadn't been the first time he had been abused. It had just been the worst. The final straw. The eye opener for Jace, that he shouldn't have to put up with it. That he could get away. Well he was escaping finally, after months of torture. He just hoped Magnus would let him stay.

Jace had finally decided on going to Magnus for help because he seemed the most likely to help. None of the jocks at school would let Jace stay without a ridiculous number of questions, and he didn't trust them besides. There was no way the Lightwoods would let him stay. And he wouldn't be able to stay at Clary's. Izzy had probably turned Simon and therefore Clary against him now, as well as the fact that she barely knew him. Magnus seemed to Jace like the sort of person who would give refuge to those in need, mainly because he had been in that situation but there had been no one. Jace didn't know for sure, but he could read people very well, and to him Magnus was open book. He could only hope that he had translated him correctly.

Jace had reached the old warehouse. The light was vanishing from the sky, and an illumination from the penthouse - where Magnus lived - drew his attention. The entire wall seemed to be made up of floor to ceiling windows looking out over the city. The view must be breathtakingly from up there. Blotting out the light were two figures, lit up by blue spotlights glaring up the windows. One was obviously Magnus - the shimmer in his hair and the bright clothing made that obvious. Jace's heart froze when he saw the other. Someone he would recognize anywhere. That he knew so well that they were practically brothers. Someone who he had treated attrociously today when he had just been trying to help. Because he cared. Someone who had cared for Jace. Only now that he had lost that did the realisation set in that that had been invaluable.

Jace watched the pair. They seemed to be engaged in a desperate conversation, Magnus grabbing Alec's shoulders and Alec running his hands rapidly through his hair, looking broken. Suddenly, Alec drew his left sleeve back. Even from this distance across the street Jace could make out the dark red encasing his wrist and laddering his arm. He didn't need the sight of Magnus jumping back, hands over his mouth in shock, to confirm his worst fears. Alec had... had done that to himself. He was getting bad again. He was getting much worse than he had ever been, even in the lowest points last time. And Jace wasn't there for him at all, to help him get through it, to just support him. Hell, this was all his fault. He had done this.

The realisation was what finally broke Jace. He dropped down in the street, falling to the floor ignoring all of the pain shooting up his ankle and engulfing his body like a crashing wave. He deserved it. He deserved it all for what he had done to his _best friend. His bloody best friend._ Jace broke down, sobbing desperately into his bag. He couldn't cope. He had messed up completely in his life, with Clary and his father and Alec. And now he was facing the devastating consequences. This punishment was more than he could bear.

* * *

Max ran into Izzy's room, causing her to look up in surprise. She had turned down the music, and was sat on her bed doing her maths when her little brother jumped into her arms. She didn't care if her was crinkling her homework. He was way more important to her than any amount of lousy school work. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a tight embrace whilst he squirmed and giggled.

"Hey mister. How was school today?" Max drew back and stared at her with grey eyes the mirror of her own (why had Alec had to get the sapphire orbs?) that seemed way too serious to belong to a nine year old. It hurt Isabelle that Max had had to grow up so fast and had had his siblings as parents instead of his Mom and Dad.

"It was great! I made a card for Mom in art, but I want you to have it instead because I think you deserve it more because you are the bestest sister ever and you take great care of me!"

"Not as great as Alec." But she took the card he held out to her anyway. It said 'Best Mom ever' and had a drawing of Maryse - although it could have been mistaken for Isabelle they looked so similar - hugging a little Max. It made Izzy want to cry, because Maryse had never been that loving towards the youngest Lightwood because she had never had the time. No, correction, she had never made the time. What sort of shiy mother doesn't even make an effort to bond with her nine year old son? Izzy didn't let this show on her face though - instead she just beamed at her little brother.

"Thanks Max, this is great! And so sweet too! I can tell that your future girlfriends will be very well treated!" Max giggled again. Izzy was always joking about Max's lucky future girlfriends, and he always found it hilarious - he was lucky to be oblivious of relationships. Although at the moment Isabelle felt positively ecstatic that she wasn't.

"Tell you what, why don't we order a pizza? You go downstairs and pick, I'll just go get Alec." Max nodded, hopped off of the bed and turned around in the door.

"Thanks Iz! But I think Alec went out..." He shrugged and she heard his footsteps thundering along corridor and down the stairs - he, like Izzy, had perfected the art of rushing on the highly polished wooden floors. How odd that Alec had gone out. He normally just shut himself up in his room all evening. She decided to check his room to try and gather any clues to where he had gone. She padded down the hallway as softly as a cat, quietly opening Alec's door and carefully peering inside. She had to stuff her fist in her mouth to stop herself from screaming.

* * *

On his way up to the house Alec had passed a pizza delivery guy, so it was only partially a surprise when he wandered into the kitchen to find Izzy dividing a meat feast onto three plates with the practised precision of a girl with siblings who sometimes - okay a lot of the time - had to help hold down the fort. Max was sitting at the table, hilegs swinging backwards and forwards under it with a child-like carelessness. Of course his actions were child-like. He was still a kid.

He looked up as Alec walked in, and his eyes lit up noticeably when he saw his brother. Alec loved that about Max. He was so loving and loyal that he would always be happy and feel safe in the presence of those whom he held most dear, no matter what they did. He was forgiving and caring, and had an innocence that certainly wasn't that of a child but more of a saint. He was a truly extraordinary little boy and Alec loved him with all his shattered heart.

He slid in next to Max just as Isabelle finished serving up. His younger sister slid them their plates before grabbing her own and plunking herself down opposite Max and digging into a slice of the pizza. The boys followed suite and the siblings sat like that for a few minutes just eating until Izzy striked up a conversation.

"So Alec, what did you do today whilst you were bunking off?" She sounded gleeful. Max looked stunned.

"You skived Alec?" Alec nodded his head.

"Yes and it was very bad of me so we don't tell Dad, the?" Max looked confused.

"But you're basically my Dad!" Alec swallowed hard, but continued.

"Well, I went to a bar with Magnus, the he fell in a pond and we got chased by about a million angry geese." Izzy giggled at the geese, but Max's intrigue was growing.

"Alec, who is Magnus?" Izzy began to gather the plates and load them into the sink.

"He's my new friend Max." The boy smiled, still curious.

"What is he like?"

"He wears glitter and he is very colourful and very nice." Max looked about to say something more, but at that point Izzy reappeared and clutched the back of her seat.

"Max, why don't you go and watch TV? Alec and I will be through in a mo." The boy nodded and hurried off. Izzy waited until the kitchen door had clicked shut behind him before gesturing at Alec to follow her to the counter. He stood up and obliged, watching with growing horror as Izzy pulled a cloth away from an object it had been covering. It was his knife, still bloody.

"Explain, Alexander Gideon Lightwood." Alec dropped to his knees on the hard tiled floor and put his head in his hands.

* * *

_**This chapter is extra long to make up for the fact that I haven't updated in ages. Do you think I should do more long ones less often, or shorter ones more frequently? Review and tell me! If I get to 15 reviews I will update tomorrow, even if it isn't as long a chapter as this! Tell me what you think, is the plot okay, is there anything you want to see?**_

_**Thanks for reading!**_

_**Lu xxx **_


	9. Surprises

**_Another installment for you. I left quite a lot of the scenes last update quite open ended, so I am rounding them off today. Hope you like this. Please review and make me happy. I will send you virtual cookies. Choc chip if you are lucky._**

**_Lu xxx_**

* * *

Magnus had accompanied a distraught but slightly comforted and understood Alec downstairs and out of the door. Now he stood with his hands in the pockets of his skinny jeans, staring after the boy as his figure became a silhouette in the rapidly fading light. He stayed there watching and worrying about the boy until he disappeared around a corner and out of sight, at which point he began to spin around towards the door to go back inside. And stopped. Across the road lay a figure, just slumped on the pavement, as if it had given up.

At first glance, Magnus assumed the person was homeless; they weren't uncommon around this part of town. Then a final beam of sunlight lit the figure enough for Magnus to make out a halo of golden hair. Magnus may not have known the boy long, but he knew that hair anywhere. It belonged to Jace Herondale, from what he had been able to make out Alec's former best friend, one of the many things the poor boy had been cut up about - no pun intended. What the hell was Jace Herondale doing outside Magnus's apartment? And furthermore, why on earth was he slumped on the sidewalk?

Magnus became all business and strode swiftly across the road. As he reached the boy he could clearly make out that he was sobbing - the sound was quiet, and had been previously drowned in the sound of traffic and sirens. Jace Herondale was crying? From the little that Magnus knew of Jace, it was that he wasn't someone to show these kinds of emotions easily. That he was was bad. Very ominous. Not good at all. Magnus crouched down beside the boy and wrapped an arm over his spasming shoulders. No reaction. Jace must be broken, truly destroyed, not to even care that some random guy, a murder for all that he knew, had just grabbed him.

"Jace." No response.

"Jace, it's Magnus." Nothing.

"Jace seriously, you are freaking me out. What's up?"

Jace didn't seem to notice. Magnus pulled him up forcefully and stared straight into the distraught and guilt filled golden eyes before him. Jace edged backwards, the guilt only growing, the fear in his eye evident. It wasn't fear of Magnus, oh no. He was feeling age old, deep fears, confirmed childhood nightmares. It scared the shit out of him.

"Okay, Jace can you please tell me what is going on? I swear I only want to help!" Jace shook his head and looked down at the ground, hanging his head in shame.

"I don't deserve help. I am just so...I don't deserve compassion or care from anyone. I'm so awful, hell I don't even deserve to die I'm that much of a mess up." This shocked Magnus. He had never heard anyone that desperate, that self loathing and that...certain.

"Jace, stop. You can undo whatever you have done. You cannot remain here. I will not let you. Come inside, we can talk..."

"No, after what I have done to Alec I deserve just to rot here, I can't bear the thought of inflicting myself on you..." Magnus pulled Jace back onto his feet - well crutches - and grabbed his bags off of him and onto his own shoulders.

"Nonsense. I will not hear it. And besides, you look like you have a really tough time. I have a feeling there is stuff you haven't been telling people. That you aren't entirely to blame." Magnus began towards his apartment, and seeing that Jace was still standing there apprehensive, spoke again.

"Jace you are staying with me. If I have to carry you in myself and tie you to a bed I will."

Jace hurried after, muttering his thanks several times, still sounding awfully nervous. Magnus was only glad to be there for the boy and for Alec in a way that no one, not even his best friend, had been there for him. No one deserved to go through any of this shit alone, and Magnus was going to ensure they would never have to. He would never let that happen when he could prevent it. He would be a safety net, a pillar for them to lean on. He would not give up on anyone the way people had given up on him. He would catch these boys, and bring them strongly from the ashes as their worlds' burned down.

* * *

Izzy stared in horror as Alec blanched and fell to the floor, head in his hands, looking entirely hopeless. She hadn't been expecting the situation to be this bad. She had honestly only been expecting a bit of teenage angst and anger and a fit of rage with a stupid rage. It had never occurred to her that Alec had very real, very deep problems that were beginning to take over him and cause him to do things to himself that Isabelle didn't want to contemplate. She stared down at her brother, looking hopeless, and it cracked her heart in two. How could she not notice that her own brother was so unhappy?

She took her hand off of the cloth that had concealed the bloodied knife from Max and went to kneel beside Alec, wrapping her arms around his frame. She had done this, by being so angry she had snapped him into this state. She should have thought for a second before just demanding answers of him on such a sensitive matter.

"I am so sorry Alec..." She felt her voice break. "I am so sorry, I shouldn't have been so like that, oh God..." She felt Alec lean into her, sobs becoming more desperate and terrified with every passing second. He hadn't said a word. Isabelle softened her voice and clutched her older brother tighter.

"Alec, why didn't you talk to me? I could have helped." Alec raises his eyes to meet his sister's, and she felt her heart break all over again.

"I... I was worried you'd go to Mom or Dad...and... I don't know I just... I'm bad again Iz, and I don't know what to do..." Isabelle stroked his hair as his head fell into her chest.

"Shhhh Alec, don't worry I'd never tell out parents." They sat there for a few moments, before curiosity took over her. Curiosity may kill the cat, but screw Church, Alec was way more important than the walking cushion.

"Alec what do you mean bad again?" Alec met her gaze for the second time, stuttering. At that moment, Max burst through the door. Both siblings snapped their heads round to face him, and their eyes went simultaneously to the knife, but it was too late.

"Izzy, Alec are you..." The boy saw the knife and screamed, running into Alec's arms. He was trembling almost as much as his brother, and only looked more scared as he saw the hopeless expression Alec wore, and the pained one plastered across Isabelle's face.

"What's going on? Why is there a knife covered in blood? What's happening?" He cried in fear, burying his face further into Alec's shirt. The two older siblings looked at each other. How on earth were the going to explain this?

* * *

Simon had just wrapped an arm round Clary and was trying to get some form of sense out of her when their step dad walked in with a very serious expression on his face. Shit. He was early. And he wasn't the only one there. Walking behind him were two people, a man around Luke's age, maybe in his late thirties, with white blonde hair and shimmering black eyes, looking just as serious as Luke, and a boy around Simon's age, maybe a bit older, who looked exactly like the older man. Simon guessed they were father and son. All three stopped short when they saw the scene that had unfurled before them.

"What the hell is going on, Simon!" Luke's voice cut through the air like a knife. He was clearly very tense. Simon wandered what was going on, who the two men were, and so completely ignored the question. It was Clary who answered in between sobs.

"Maia...Maia she...She tried to...she's dying, Luke...dying..." Luke blanched and ran out of the . Simon wandered what was going on. Simon the turned to ask the black eyed man, but he spoke first, wandering around in front of Clary and kneeling down in front of her and clutching her hands.

"Clary, could you tell me who Maia is?" The man looked at Clary exactly like Luke did. With love, and loyalty, and care. Simon was dumbfounded as to who he was. Just then, the boy came round and tapped Simon, indicating for him to follow. As much as he hated to leave Clary, Simon wanted answers, and this boy seemed willing to give him some, so he got to his feet and strolled into the kitchen behind him. Simon pulled the door to and then whipped around, looking at the boy pleasingly.

"Okay, could you please tell me what's going on?" His voice sounded more desperate than harsh. The boy smiled reassuringly at Simon, a genuine smile.

"Well...I'm your brother, and that guy out there is our father." Simon didn't know what to say. He had a brother. And a father. Well, best place to start would be names.

"So, nice to meet you... what's your name?" The boy laughed.

"Jonathan. And yours?" Simon looked at him in confusion. "I only found out today too."

"Um, Simon, and that out there is Clary, as you've probably guessed." Jonathan nodded, and for a moment the siblings stared at each other before reaching forwards into a hug. Jonathan looked at Simon shyly. Simon raised his eyebrow - Clary had always hated him for being able to do that.

"What?"

"Well...Simon, you and I, we are fraternal twins." Simon gasped.

"So I have a twin brother?" Jonathan nodded his head hesitantly, as if scared of Simon's reaction. "Awesome!" Jonathan began to laugh at that, and soon they were both laughing. When they calmed down a few moments later, Simon got serious again.

"So what is our father called?"

"Valentine Morgenstern."

"And why are you here, now of all times?" Jonathan bit his lip.

"Well, now that our mother has... has gone, custody of all children goes to Valentine." Simon just stared at Jonathan, clearly oblivious.

"Simon...you and Clary...you have to come and live with us."

* * *

**_Plot twist! Love it or hate it? Just to confirm, Jonathan and Valentine are going to be good in this story, so different to the books... and Luke has his own secrets. Sorry it's short but I wanted to give you something. Tell me what you think! And thank you for reading!_**

**_Lu xxx _**


	10. Darkness

_**Hello my dears. I know last chapter included things that were… well, very drastic in terms of the Jonathan/Valentine thing, but please go with it? I just felt like writing it, and I hope you will come to like it. I will always be pleased to hear from you. **_

_**Lu xxx**_

* * *

Clary felt the strong arms go around her and pull her close. She knew it wasn't Simon, but at that moment she didn't care – she just wanted some comfort, any comfort. She just wanted someone to hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay. And anyhow, the man who had her wrapped in a tight embrace felt oddly familiar, although Clary had no idea where she could know him from. His face was one she would be likely to remember, and yet she was certain she had never seen it before.

She raised her eyes up, wiping them slightly on her arm to clear her vision, and looked up properly at the man. He had almost black eyes, looking down at her and brimming with love and concern, which totally baffled Clary. His hair was an icy white, cold and beautiful, but when he smiled all of his seemingly freezing features heated up, making him seem like a calm and caring person. Clary wondered who he was. So she asked.

"Who…who are you?" She sniffed; the man smiled again, a reassuring smile that instantly made Clary feel comfortable with him, despite the fact that he was a stranger.

"My name is Valentine Morgenstern." Clary gasped in recognition at the name. She had heard it in a whispered conversation between Luke and her mother that had been halted the second she had made her presence known.

"But then…but aren't you?" Valentine rubbed circles on her shoulders in a comforting fashion.

"Yes sweetie. I'm your dad." Clary was gobsmacked, but she soon found her words.

"But… how come you were never there for us? How come you never got in touch? Why didn't I know anything about you…" Valentine shushed her.

"I couldn't, your mother forbade it. When we split up, I got custody of Jonathan, and your mom got Simon and you. She didn't want you to know about me, and the court made me stay away. I'm sorry." He looked sad, and Clary was desperate to stop him looking like that.

"But then why are you here now?" Maia had flown completely from her mind. She was now focussed solely on her father. He was all that mattered. She wanted to know more, she was desperate for an explanation of anything, anything at all.

"I'm here now because the custody of you two was returned to me after Jocelyn was killed. Clary, I'm sorry, and I know it is hard, but you have to leave with me today. Jonathan and I moved so we didn't uproot you too much, but you have to come with us, I'm afraid." Anger shot up through Clary the, anger at everything, at Jace for kissing her and then treating her like she was one massive mistake, at Simon for leaving her for Izzy, at the men who killed her Mom, at Luke for not stopping this, at her father, and at the whole fucking world for being a bitch to her.

"What the Hell? This is my home, Luke is like family to me, why do I have to go?!" Valentine looked panicked, unsure of what to do. He spoke in an oddly calm voice considering the Clary situation.

"Look, I'm sorry sweetie, I know it's hard and I wouldn't do it if I could help it. I'm sorry, and I know. You can visit Luke anytime you want, stay over even, but you are gonna have to live with me. I'm sorry." Clary calmed down slightly at that, and gave into another emotion cascading through her brain – curiosity.

"Who is Jonathan? What relation I mean?" Valentine opened his mouth to speak, but someone else interjected. It was Simon, who had returned from the kitchen with the boy Clary could only assume was Jonathan.

"He's my twin brother. Older by 19 minutes." Clary felt her mouth drop open. So not only did she have another brother, but he was Simon's twin. Great. It wasn't as if this day hadn't been confusing and trying enough already. Clary sighed and pulled herself to her feet.

"I'm going to go pack. I'll be ready in an hour. Oh, and hi Jonathan. Nice to meet you."

* * *

Jordan sat on his bed, his arms wrapped around his legs, pulling them tight to his chest, his forehead slammed down on his knees. Maia had been transferred to a specialist unit in the next state. Her family was going with her. They were never coming back, This was all his bloody fault. He had hurt the girl, He had made her try to die. He had caused her to want to escape, to leave him like this. Alone. Cold. Empty. Missing the glorious spark of life that had brightened up his existence like nothing else could and that went by the name of Maia Roberts. A name he would never say again, because he couldn't say it to her or anyone else. Everyone had abandoned him after what had happened. They didn't even stop to listen to what he had to say. They just judged. Judged and abandoned him. Perfect. I wasn't like he had other things to worry about.

His phone had gone off several times since he had called Clary. He hadn't been able to bring himself to pick up, figuring that given the situation it was most likely people who had nothing better to do calling to have a go at him and try and cause him guilt. Yeh, he didn't need their help when it came to guilt, he had been able to produce enough of that on his own, thank you very much.

He flicked through the missed calls list, barely processing the names. As suspected, most where the hate callers he had been expecting, although he had had a couple from Simon and Clary. The hospital had called once. Jordan had picked that one up, hoping for news on how Maia was doing; that was how he had found out about the transfer and the move. Jordan felt a fit of anger about being kept in the dark after that call, and threw the phone with the blinding force of a football player into the wall. It smashed and rained on the floor in a macabre splash of glass and plastic and metal. He immediately regretted it - that phone was new, and this would give his mother another reason to hate/possibly kill him.

Speak of the devil, at that moment she shouted up at Jordan that it was time for dinner. She sounded irritated and bored, as if it was a chore having to let her own son know when there was food, and that she didn't give a crap whether he got any or not. Jordan sighed. Normally he would have been down in a flash, but today he didn't really feel like eating. His mother called up another couple of times, not sounding overly concerned, and eventually gave up a few minutes later when it became apparent that there was no way Jordan was coming down. She would probably just cover it with a plate or something, or give it to the dog. It wasn't like she had put in a major effort cooking it - most of the meals not the Kyle household were ready after a five minute zap in the microwave.

He sat there all evening, feeling desperate and despairing, and at some point the blurry lines between awakeness and sleep crossed over fully and Jordan was pulled into an infinite blackness, filled with swirling red lines ans Maia's face, smiling up at him, happy, content. Those happy memories that now just ate away at his conscience, plaguing his dreams and ensuring that he had an atrocious nights sleep.

* * *

Magnus sat Jace down on the couch with the cat and then went to take his bags into a spare bedroom. As he dumped them next to the bed, he looked around. There was a large blue sofa bed thrown hastily into one corner, a bedside table, a closet, the door to the ensuite and a large glittery lamp next to the main entrance - well, it was Magnus's apartment, of course there was going to be a trace of glitter in every room. He only hoped Jace wouldn't mind the room too much - the handcuffs that held the curtains open might have been a bit unnerving for the boy.

He slipped out of the room and padded back down the hallway to the bright orange couch he had deposited his guest upon, considering what was going to happen. And what had already happened to put Jace in this state - because Magnus was sure as Hell this wasn't just about the Alec situation. As he rounded into the room he noticed that Jace had stopped crying and was curled up looking extremely uncomfortable and nervous. Magnus slumped down opposite him, crossed his legs and rested his hands on top of his knees.

"So, why are you here?" Jace looked a bit taken aback and scared, as if this was going to be a vicious cross examination - which it wasn't.

"What I mean to say is, why are you not at home?" Jace began to wring his hands together, but left them wrapped around his knees. The position he was in made his cast awfully obvious, and it just made Magnus even more concerned. He tried to wipe any trace of anger that may be lingering on his face away to try and make Jace feel more comfortable with the situation, if that was possible. He wanted to be able to help Jace, no matter what had happened. He could tell whatever it was was deadly serious.

"I couldn't stay in that house, not after what has happened there." He looked up at Magnus, fear evident in his eyes, and the boy nodded his head, encouraging him to go on. Jace gulped, looking like the memories caused him physical pain. Or that it was physically painful to tell Magnus what had happened.

"Both... both my Mom and Celine, my stepmom, died there. And...and after what happened last night..." Magnus got a horrible feeling in his gut, and he knew what Jace was going to say next would explain the injuries he had, which unnerved Magnus. He could tell immediately that it wasn't going to be anything good.

"What happened last night, Jace?" Magnus asked softly, desperate not to let his voice shake. He had an awful feeling that what he was about to find out would be the second piece of worrying knowledge he had received that evening. Magnus wasn't sure how much he could take before he exploded with concern. And he definitely didn't want to do that. It would be very counterproductive, and would most likely ruin his hair.

"Well...I kissed a girl...and...my father he...he doesn't approve of me having...having a relationship after...after things...and he...he...he..." Jace broke off, clearly incapable of saying anything more. Magnus was almost certain of what had happened, and it filled him with an awful dropping feeling in his stomach. He asked regardless.

"Jace...Jace did he do this to you?" Magnus gestured to the cast and bruises on the boy. He nodded.

Magnus's hand clapped over his mouth in shock. He watched as a silent tear fell down the other boy's face, filled with fear and anger and a sadness that he couldn't put his finger on. It was confusing and awful. Magnus was rendered absolutely speechless. And for someone to do that to _Magnus _was extremely rare - the boy always had something to say. It took him a few minutes to snap out of the initial shock of hearing it, and by the time he was almost ready to speak again Jace had buried his head in his knees and was quietly sobbing. It was clear that his entire world had been blown apart in a matter of hours and he was standing confused and feeling utterly alone in the ashes, the pain he was experiencing in his heart almost unbearable. Magnus hated seeing him like that.

"Jace, you have to report him, you can't let him get away with..."

"NO!" Jace cut Magnus off, his head snapping up and his deep golden eyes filled with panic. "Magnus, please you can't tell anyone!"

"Jace, he _assaulted_ you..." Jace shook his head wildly, his fear plain.

"You can't please, please Magnus." He gulped and went on in a very, very quiet voice. "If anyone else knows, he'll kill me. I know he will. He will kill me, Magnus." For the second time in five minutes, he was rendered speechless. He reached out and placed a hand comfortably on Jace's shoulder. He had started hyperventilating. Another second time that day for Magnus. This was starting to become a bit of a theme.

"Okay Jace, I won't tell. But you are staying with me. You'll be safe here. And hey, it'll be a laugh." Magnus kept his tone light, friendly, so that Jace felt reassured and comfortable. He wanted to calm the boy down, to make him feel safe. He couldn't bear to see him concerned.

"Thank you." The other boy whispered. Magnus got up and headed to the kitchen.

"No problem, darling. Coffee?"

* * *

"Um.. don't worry Max. I was using it to cut up meat earlier to put in the freezer, that's all." Izzy said quickly as Alec panicked. Max nodded, and smiled a little at his older sister, but he still clung around Alec on the floor.

"Hey, do you wanna go and watch a movie now?" Alec directed at his younger brother, standing up so that he was holding his brother's fragile frame. Max nodded again, clearly still terrified after what he had seen. Alec ruffled his hair and wrapped his arms tightly around Max as the three of them left the kitchen and the awful feeling it was now holding.

"Hey, it's alright Max. No one's here to hurt us, and even if there was, I am _always _here to save you. Okay? I'm your knight in shining armor, and you are my beautiful princess." Max giggled at that, clearly reassured by Alec's words - he was after all like his father, way more his father than Robert was anyway. The three of them made their way down the slippery corridor towards one of the many living rooms in silence after that. It wasn't an awkward silence. It was a comfortable one, a moment of understanding between the siblings. When they got to the room, Alec kicked the door open with his foot - Max taking up most of his arms - and slid along the floor at speed, causing Max to shriek in excitement. He fell backwards on the floor, Max resting on his chest, the two of them in fits of laughter. Eventually, They sat up to see Izzy watching in a bemused fashion from the couch.

"You two ready to pick a movie yet?" At that moment chaos ensued. They descended into the average sibling argument about what to watch - Max wanted Disney, Alec wanted an action movie and Izzy wanted the most soppy romance the family possessed. In the end, Max won, because Alec was more than happy to compromise for Max, secretly really enjoying Disney himself despite his age, and the two of them were much better in a tickling war than their sister. So that was how, five minutes later, Alec was slipping Brave into the DVD player.

"Are you sure you want to watch this, Max? It's not too scary before bedtime?" Alec asked, concerned. Max was always frightened by the bears, and the last they had watched it he hadn't slept for a week. And they had watched that in the morning. Now it was late, and darkness had wrapped around the mansion like a blanket, which worried Alec, because if watching it in daylight could scare Max shitless he was terrified about what watching it at night would do. He looked at Max to see the boy nodding enthusiastically.

"I'm not scared of the bear anymore Alec, because you are here to protect me." He leaped onto Alec's lap and wrapped his arm around hi neck. Alec in return circled the boy with his arms, and Izzy leaned into his shoulder. All three of them together, feeling safe and happy in each other's presence, watching the film and having a thoroughly enjoyable evening, the incident a bit earlier on totally forgotten. This was what family meant. This is what happiness meant. And in that moment, everything was perfect. The way it was supposed to be. They didn't know if it would last, or what hurdles they would come to face. But in that moment it didn't matter. All that mattered was each other. That night not one of them had nightmares. Their dreams were sweet and all three woke up smiling.

* * *

_**Soooo? What d'ya think? Was it good? I wanted to be nice to the beloved Lightwood kids because I have given them Hell so far, and they needed a break. I have tried to give Jace a light at the end of the tunnel. I have destroyed Clary just a little bit. I have fallen in love with Max because he is just so perfect. And Magnus, as usual, if fabulous.**_

_**I will not be able to update for at least a week as I am off skiing tomorrow - lovely, a 3AM start (groans) - so I wanted to give you something tonight. Also, Valentine's Day - any of you got a Valentine? I am finally going out with the boy of my dreams and have had a silly grin on my face all day.**_

_**Love you all, thanks to all of you who have Followed, Favorited or Reviewed! You make my day light up!**_

_**Lu xxx**_


	11. Smiling

_**Hi, sorry it's taken so long but I have been away and then been really busy with school work and other stuff. To alwayslivestributewhovian – I have checked and double checked this chapter, so hopefully no mistakes. Also, I have included a section in honour of you, you'll know what it is. Enjoy!**_

_**Lu xxx**_

* * *

The next day was a Saturday, so normally Magnus wouldn't have woken up until at least three o'clock in the afternoon, but the last few days hadn't exactly been normal. He had been tossing and turning continuously all night, lucky to snatch ten minutes of sleep at a time, and had eventually given up at around seven and pulled himself out of bed. The short dreams that he had endured had been filled with memories of the previous night, of Alec coming over and begging him for help and of Jace slumped in the street looking entirely broken. Oh yes. Jace. He highly suspected the boy would be out cold with exhaustion for at least another few hours yet, so he would have to keep the noise down. That was one of the perks Magnus had discovered of living alone – you could do what you wanted when you wanted without anyone objecting.

Magnus pulled on some leather pants and a luminous shirt before padding softly out of his bedroom and down the corridor. The room that Jace was staying in was right the other end of it to the kitchen and living room, so hopefully Magnus wouldn't disrupt him too much. He slipped into said area and made his way to his kitchen to get himself some coffee. He prided himself on having at least five instant varieties of the bitter black liquid in his cabinet. Right now, he selected the strongest stuff and poured a large amount of it into his favourite blue sparkling mug – complete with rhinestones – before flicking on the kettle. He needed something to snap him out of the foggy haze of exhaustion. If he could muster up the willpower later he might go out and get some sleeping tablets just so he could get a little bit of rest.

He snapped his head up as the kettle popped. He had been nodding off again. He yanked the thing up and poured a large amount of the boiling liquid into his mug, stirring with the now scorching hot metal spoon. When he was done, he took a massive swig of the coffee, not even bothering to put sugar in it as per usual, and sighed as the caffeine goodness began to creep into his brain. He loved the stuff. If coffee was still in the world then nothing could be that bad. Slowly the tiredness began to ebb from Magnus, and eventually, after maybe four cups of coffee – he couldn't really be sure – he felt up to getting up properly. He slipped back into his bedroom and into the ensuite with the intention of taking a nice long hot shower.

* * *

When Magnus emerged from his bedroom, a large cloud of steam still hanging in the air, despite the fact that he had actually stepped out of the shower about half an hour ago – the shower had been a very long one. Magnus had a habit of spending a long time in the shower treating his hair – his friend Camille had often said he was like a girl in that respect, which Magnus had often said was sexist. Men had just as much right to spend ages in the shower as women. He had told Camille that she had simply laughed. When it had come up in conversation with Alec the previous day he had agreed – although hastened to add that he only took five minutes. Magnus could imagine that – Alec looked like the person who liked to just get on with things and didn't care particularly about his appearances.

Magnus noticed that Jace's door was slightly ajar, so he guessed that the other boy must have woken up. It wasn't much of a surprise – Magnus had been an age getting ready. However, he was curious to meet a teenager who was capable of waking before midday – glancing down at his wrist confirmed that it was indeed still morning – on a normal Saturday. Mind you, he guessed it must be a pretty unusual day for Jace as well. That was probably why, he told himself.

He sauntered with a stupid amount of energy – perhaps the large dose of coffee had been a bad idea – into the living room again to find the other boy slumped on the couch and fiddling with his fingers. He smiled at Jace, who had looked up nervously at the sound of Magnus's overly energetic footsteps, and gave him a cheery wave. Yep, he definitely needed to stay off the caffeine. Over an hour and a half later he was still right up on a high. He would have to come off the habit or he would need to start drinking decaff. And that would be a total disaster.

"Morning Jace!" He chirped. Yes, chirped. Oh dear.

"Morning, Magnus." Jace replied in a weary voice, the sort that implied that it wasn't just difficulty sleeping that was keeping him down. It unnerved Magnus slightly.

"Did you sleep okay?" Jace stared at Magnus, the expression in his eyes unreadable.

"I guess." Magnus placed his hands on his hips.

"Hmm. Somehow I doubt that." Jace reached a hand up and raked it through his hair.

"The well, I didn't have a great day yesterday. I just need time to... get o be it. I'll be fine come this afternoon." Magnus sighed.

"Jace, it's okay to be down for a bit. You have had it really rough these past couple of days and you have been broken both physically and mentally in ways that I can't even comprehend. And from what I could gather there has been some fallout with you and Alec that both of you blame yourselves for. So let yourself mope for a bit before you pick yourself up. It's only natural, and I'm certainly not judging you. Okay?" Jace nodded.

"Okay." He sounded forlorn.

"Lecture over then. Now, you need a coffee. I may even lend you my third favourite mug!" The other boy's mouth simply refused to twitch. This annoyed Magnus.

"Oh come on. Smile, you're made of stardust!" Again, he just stared blankly at Magnus. He threw his hands up into the air in defeat and made his way to the apartment's small kitchen. There was only one thing that could deal with this - Magnus's second favourite mug, which was kept in a special place where it couldn't be broken specifically so that it could be used in situations such as this one. He plucked it out of the cupboard, poured some real coffee this time into it and brought it out to Jace, practically shoving it into the boy's hands.

At that a ghost of a smile began to cross his features, turning swiftly into a full scale grin. On the mug there was a picture of a t-rex with its tiny arms trying to make a bed. It wasn't working for the poor thing.

* * *

Clary woke up in an unfamiliar bed. The bed she normally slept in was hard with random springs that had made her alter her sleeping position to avoid them - her mom and Luke had never had much money, and when they had it certainly hadn't been spent on trivial things such as bedding. This, however, was gorgeous. The mattress was soft enough to be comfortable but hard enough to support her, allowing her to relax in her sleep instead of falling into a stiff position. The thick blankets meant that she had woken up deliciously warm, and a generous pile of pillows mean that she has gotten up for once without a crick in her neck. It was lovely, but it was weird. It didn't feel like she liked it, because it didn't feel like home.

She allowed her eyed to flick open, taking in the room around her with its deep orange walls, golden net curtains with a golden lining, a door that surely led to an ensuite, a closet and larger door which must lead into the corridor. Sitting up slowly so as to avoid a spell of dizziness, Clary allowed the fogginess of just after waking up to take her back to the hazy memories of the previous night.

She remembered sitting in the back of an expensive car with blacked out windows next to Simon, their hands clenched tightly over the central seat as their father and brother whisked them away from familiarity and into newness and the unknown. City lights had flashed past outside, a million of neon flashing across the vision which had been blurred by tears. In these past few months and days she had lost nearly everything - Jocelyn, Luke, Maia. She only had Simon left. Simon, the only constant that she had ever had in her wood. And even then she was still terrified that she would end up losing him to Isabelle Lightwood.

She remembered vaguely pulling up in front of a pair of massive wrought-iron gates that seemed more intimidating than majestic to her. Simon had given her hand a squeeze, but it hadn't really offered much reassurance. She hated the unknown, and she was being plunged straight into it. The gates had swung open eerily slowly after their father had punched in a code Clary couldn't remember, and then they had been driving in. Clary recalled a very long driveway, lined with an array of fir trees. Because of the density of the trees and the darkness of the night she hadn't been able to make out much, but she was sure that the house they were going to came with a large estate.

She remembered yet another long corridor - God she was going to get lost in this place - that Jonathon had led her down. He had pointed out his room, and then told Simon he was to have the one next door, and Clary the one opposite. He had helped her drag her stuff into the pretty room, and then had left her after making sure that she was alright. She had fallen back on the bed, and despite the fact that it had been quite early still had let the exhaustion of everything just take her away into a happy darkness.

Clary shook away the memories. Today was a fresh start, a new chance for her to just forget all the pain and confusion and change that the past few months had brought and give life another shot. She still had her ever present Simon, whom she was sure would be there until the day she died, but she also had a new family. Her real dad. After having literally no clue as to what he was like, Clary had the chance to get to know her other biological parent. She had thought for a time that she had lost both parents, and that was it, but now she had had one returned and it was a second chance she wasn't going to miss. She also had another brother. Another person to laugh with and argue with, and who would back you up at school and comfort you when you were down and then wind you up when you weren't. She really couldn't wait to get to know Jonathon either.

With those happy thoughts racing through her mind, Clary summed up the motivation to drag herself put of the wonderfully comfy bed and get going. She quickly showered, before rummaging into her suitcase and pulling out triumphantly a blue tank top that made her hair look beautifully vibrant and dark at the same time and a pair of dark blue cut offs. Once she was dressed, she yanked open her bedroom door and pulling her hair into a wildly curly ponytail made her way down the corridor in the direction that if she remembered right led downstairs to the kitchen. Fingers crossed. The size of this house was certainly going to take some getting used to.

* * *

The golden light of late morning tickled Alec's face as it shone from a bar in between the curtains. He groaned and rolled over, savoring the short period of time that was not quite awake-ness before succumbing to natures desires and rolling out of bed. He had slept well that night, despite everything that had happened the previous day. Thank the Angel he had such good family or he didn't think he would know what to do. Speaking of family, he probably needed to be up to start making them breakfast soon. He stretched his arms up before making his way into an ensuite for a quick shower.

Ten minutes late, his hair still slightly damp and hanging around his face, he left his room and glanced down the corridor. He could hear giggling from downstairs, a sure sign that his siblings were indeed awake - the Lightwoods were early risers compared to most teenagers. Alec's personal philosophy was that he should make the most of the day. He was pretty sure that the personal philosophy of Isabelle and Max revolved around getting up in time for Alec to make them breakfast instead of having to get it themselves, but oh well. On the subject of breakfast, Alec was pretty sure he had heard the giggling from the general direction of the kitchen. Oh crap. The kitchen. Isabelle and cooking didn't mix. He ran the rest of the way down the stairs, getting more and more apprehensive as the laughter, now clearly Max's became evident, as did the swearing.

Alec swung himself into the kitchen using the door frame and was greeted by carnage. Izzy had tried to make omelets. Tried being the operative part. No one seemed to have told her that you weren't supposed to flip them like pancakes, because there were at least two - crikey she had been busy - stuck firmly onto the ceiling and one over the light, and she had somehow managed to set the one in the pan on _fire._ This was exactly why Alec never permitted Izzy to cook - although he had got a few lessons from Maryse, Izzy had never been quite old enough before their parents had started going away, and now she was simply a disaster waiting to happen at the oven. This was the reason she had ordered pizza and not cooked last night on one of the rare occasions when Alec was out.

Thinking on his feet, Alec grabbed the fire extinguisher from just behind the door and sprayed it full on at the quickly growing flames. Isabelle stepped back in the nick of time, and pretty soon the flames were gone and only a foamy, eggy mess remained. There appeared to be some bacon scattered unhelpfully on the floor as well. That was it. He was teaching his sister to cook, there was no way he was putting up with these situations. She would need to be able to when she was older anyway, and it would be nice to have a proper meal when Alec couldn't cook for whatever reason. Forget the hassle - it was much more of one to try and clean up one of these messes after one of Izzy's kitchen disasters.

Alec gave a death glare to Izzy, who was standing as if braced for the blow. Max had taken the hint and stopped laughing, although he did look like he was trying to stop a smile from playing on his features.

"Isabelle Lightwood..." He growled, not quite sure what to say. She looked at him unhappily but stubbornly.

"What, Alexander?"

"What on earth were you doing down here cooking without me to help you?! Just look at the mess you have made!" Max giggled and cut in.

"You sound like dad in a bad mood, Alec!" Alec shot him a glare, which he hated doing but felt was necessary, to shut him up.

"Not now Max." He turned back to face Izzy. She looked nervous. "So?"

"Alec, I was just trying to make breakfast for us so that you didn't have to go to the hassle because I know that you work really hard to make sure me and Max are happy and I just wanted to give you something back and I didn't think it was fair that you always have to look after us just becuase our parents are useless..." She was cut off by Alec pulling her into a big hug.

"Okay Iz, point made. Don't cry." Isabelle humphed.

"I'm not crying, there were onions in the omelettes..."

"Yeh right. Look, I'm sorry for having a go at you. If I'd known... well, it was a really nice gesture. But I think we are going to have to give you lessons before we try that again, okay?" Isabelle nodded. "But you are still clearing this up. And it is Max and I, not me and Max." She snorted at that and drew back from her brother.

"Oh, you are so predictable Alec!" She was giggling. Max cut in again, clearly deciding the situation was safe.

"Alec, are you going to make us breakfast now?" Alec shook his head.

"No. There is absolutely no way that anything can be done in here for a while. Instead, you and I are going to go out and buy croissants for everyone from the bakery across the road. Sound good?" Max nodded enthusiastically, and jumped off of the chair he had been sitting on. Alec grabbed his had, and his wallet off of the side, and they walked out of the kitchen which Izzy was cleaning up ferociously and onto the drive and the beautiful morning together. Alec loved his family, but seriously, sometimes they could just be a pain. At least with them he had to sort disputes out, because he had to live with them. He had no idea how to sort the argument with Jace out, despite the fact that he desperately wanted to. Oh well. Right now that didn't matter. All that mattered were the croissants.

* * *

_**What do you think? Please let me know, comments are always appreciated!**_

_**Thank you for reading, and sorry again it has been so long.**_

_**Lu xxx **_


	12. Understanding

**_I know that it's been a while, and I'm sorry. But here is your update. The reason it has been so long is science revision (those of you who know me, don't tell Georgie!) Whilst doing said revision, I was working on concave mirrors. It was a sign of how obsessed I am with the Mortal Instruments when I started writing note cards on 'conclave' mirrors instead. :p_**

**_On the downside, pre ordered TBC 10 and then it came up with some stupid mobipocket notice and wouldn't let me read it! Anyone else get that? I was not impressed and am fuming at Amazon. I need my Malec fix after what Cassie did in Lost Souls!_**

**_I hope you enjoy. Review and I update faster._**

**_To Kelly - thanks. 1 word, mean a lot. Also, neat profile! All in for the Robert Pattinson ones!_**

**_To Alwayslivestributeandwhovian - glad it worked!_**

* * *

Alec stared at the object in his hands deliberating. It wasn't like he hadn't done it before, and it wasn't like this was the worst situation he had done it in, but something somehow stopped him. A flutter in his chest, a warning that maybe this wasn't the right thing to do. Something that made it seem like he was making a mistake in doing this, proving himself too desperate to the world. What was wrong with him? He had been fine doing it just the other day! What could possibly have changed since then, in a few days? What could have turned him into this nervous, doubting wreck? Why couldn't he just damn get on with it like he wanted to? What was there to be scared of? Well, the terrifying thing was that his brain was telling him everything. Rejection. More pain. Losing himself. He couldn't trust himself to do this right, to not cause the wounds to run too deep, could he? He was so inexperienced, so new to this, and yet somehow it felt like a burden he had felt his whole life now that it had come to light. Or was it a burden? Maybe it was a way to be set free. Either way, it was filling his mind with concern. Damn it! He needed to get over this, because it would be better sooner than later and he knew it was inevitable. He brought his hand down slowly, carefully - and at the last moment backed out. Cursing, he slammed the phone down on the sheets beside him and fell backwards onto the pillows. Why was he finding it so hard to call Magnus?

It was Saturday afternoon, and the rain was falling steadily outside in a warm torrent. Fall was definitely here, the beautifully oranges and yellows hanging on the trees dampened literally by the gloomy weather. Alec had been, studying hard since just after the chaos that was breakfast, and he probably hadn't eaten anything that day except half a croissant that he had shared with Max, but he was too distracted to care. He had been distracted by the thought of Magnus. Something about him was special. He was so understanding and supportive but also carefree, like he knew how to live. He had proven both of those things to Alec the previous day, and it had made Alec want to trust him greatly, had made Alec trust him greatly and spill out all of the dark secrets and concerns filling him up. It was odd, and Alec had no idea about how he felt about him, so for now he just wanted to get to know him better. Of course, this was clearly going to be impossible because Alec couldn't even arrange to see him. What a douche.

He sighed with exasperation, giving up on the idea. He clearly wouldn't be seeing Magnus again today. Maybe it was for the best - he had been making the most of the quiet (Izzy and Max had gone out to the park) to crack down on his Latin. Yes, that was what he would do. He would go back to his Latin. He defeatedly pulled himself off of his bed and back to the highly polished black wood desk now scratched all over with the marks of words that had etched through the paper and the armchair like swivel chair. Almost as soon as he sat down the he found himself snoozing. God, his brain really hated him today. Confusion and now tiredness when he had finally decided what to do and was getting on with it? That was it. He was going to have to give in. As sleep took over Alec, his last thoughts were of how he desperately needed to get an uncomfortable chair so that he could actually study. Preferably one that also had a cage that locked away his phone. And possibly manacles to make him stay put. That would do.

Alec had always been fond of sleep, because sleep had been the time when he had been able to enjoy simple nothingness for hours on end before anything happened, anything disturbed, anything was anything. Philosophical yet true. And anyway, Alec loved philosophy, it was epic. Now though, it appeared his mind would not even let him have the peaceful release from the world that he wished to gain, instead irritating him yet further - if that was possible; why did he have to be so odd? - by giving him dreams. Alec didn't really like dreams, because they just reminded him of everything and anything, mostly the stuff he wanted to just let float away on the tide. This dream was weird, peculiar - basically all of the things Alec was, and yet all of the things he wasn't at the same time.

_Lights flashed around him, glittering lights, lights of many colours. Lights that were so bright that they hurt his eyes, and lights that glowed low like the embers in a fire. Lights that blinked in and out of existence, and lights that stayed, steady and constant. He didn't know if the lights were up or down, or at the side, because he didn't know which was up and down were, where the sides were. He didn't even know if there were sides or a bottom, or a ceiling, because it was just light. It hurt his head, but made him feel secure and happy at the same time. He was falling, he knew that, but at the same time he was not falling. At some times it appeared that the web of light was slowing the descend, others it was speeding it up, and it even occasionally felt like it was lifting him in glory. But all at the same time as well as separate were these feelings. The only thing that remained consistent as time went by immeasurably was that Alec did not hit a floor, a bottom. As far as he descended, the web would never let him connect with the surface that was the ending and the beginning and everything in between all at once and shatter against it. It would not let him break. It was holding him together and pulling him in many unfamiliar emotional directions all at once, but it wasn't letting him fully fall apart. The pieces stayed interlocked and resolute in the protection of the web. The image fell in and out of focus as Alec's mind wandered into an increasingly deep sleep, until he slipped into a great blackness. The images fluttered even into this great void as the boy's eyes remained shut, so that he was guaranteed to remember them in all of their confusing glory. Stars flicked in and out of his mind, blue and green and gold bursting across his vision like fireworks as the dream faded out, the bursts ebbing away as it returned. It was spectacular and mystical and magical. It was familiar and new and different. Alec loved it, even though he hated it._

Alec's eyes remained shut tightly even as his sister slipped in through the minute gap between the door and its frame, desperate for once to stay forever in the memories and future and everything on the spectrum. All of his issues were lost in the precious moment and special hours that the dream encompassed, which was unusual, as dreams normally just made things worse. But this one - it had never heard of the dimension of time. It was a time free beauty, caught in a single second yet ever changing. Ever moving. He gradually peeled his bright blue orbs open, finally giving in to the reality was life and in particular his sister. They stared right back into very very very dark brown ones - the girl would strangle anyone who dared to call them grey. Izzy. God, what did she want now? Could he not get two seconds to himself, a single moment when he wasn't running around after her or Max whilst trying to juggle his own life in the mix as well? If this was what it was like being a parent, Alec was never having kids. Well, never adopting any.

"Alexander Gideon Lightwood, are you aware that your phone has been ringing constantly for the last five minutes? Because it is getting bloody annoying!"

* * *

Once Jace had finished laughing at the mug, and Magnus had stopped laughing at his reaction (or maybe in relief that Jace had the capability to smile, he wasn't sure which) the conversation became serious. The previous night had touched upon things that had needed to be said, but now was the time for the full conversation about things, the time to decide what was going to happen, when it was going to happen, basically everything that needed clearing up. Jace wasn't sure what Magnus would want clarified, and so had decided to brace himself for whatever the boy could throw at him. That was what he had always been taught, and despite many of his father's misguided words, these ones made sense to Jace, so he stuck by them. There had to be at least some part of his personal philosophy that he could cling to, right?

"Okay, so why here Jace?" He blinked. He had not been expecting that question.

"What do you mean?" Magnus looked exasperated and slumped down onto the couch opposite, crossing his legs in what Jace assumed was his favourite position

"I mean why come to me? I have known you barely two days, you barely know me at all really, and for all you know I could be a murdering psychopath who wants to cut you up and feed you to the Chairman!"

"Do you? And also, who the hell is Chairman?"

"No. And my cat, Chairman Meow. But I rather think you are avoiding the point, Jonathan." Jace flinched when he used the name. He hated it. The memories... well, he just didn't want them.

"Well, I thought I could trust you." Magnus raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow.

"Um, see previous statement. Also, don't you have loads of mates you could crash with?"

"Yeh, but I don't trust them. They just like me for the girls I attract that they can nab. And I thought... call me stupid, I just thought you looked like the sort of person who wouldn't judge me and would understand me and help me out. You may look completely bonkers but you looked the kind of person who is permanent, reliable I guess." He hated saying that. Showing his vulnerability. But it had to be said. Magnus looked shocked. His eyebrows had disappeared into his hair. Actually, it looked kinda funny.

"I am honoured that you can trust me, Jace. I am going to help you, of course I am, why wouldn't I?. I won't let you face anything alone dear, because that is what happened to me and it is not nice. You have my word on that. The help, I mean." Jace nodded in gratitude.

"Thank you."

"Now, what the hell is going on between you and Alec? Because I am really confused about the whole thing. I have heard snippets but..." He trailed off. Jace breathed in deeply. He had known somehow that this was coming - well, Magnus and Alec already seemed to be best buds so it was unsurprising really.

"Well... a couple of nights ago we got into a fight because basically he thought I was going off with the jocks, and abandoning him, which is true, and I feel shit about it. We got over it yesterday morning, so yeh the morning after, but then..." He stopped, shuddering. Magnus was gazing at him with a soft intensity.

"But then what?"

"I collapsed when I got out of the truck on my ankle, I think, I think Iz must have pushed me or something. I can't remember the fine details, not after I passed out, but I just remember Alec being really concerned about me, as a friend would be, and I just shouted. I just basically told him to keep his nose out and that maybe there had been a reason that I had been avoiding him, and... and then he told me enough was enough, or something similar. Then I went inside and passed out. I don't know what Alec did."

Magnus stared for a moment, looking thoughtfully into nowhere. His elbows were resting just in front of his knees and he had his hands cupping his chin. Add that to the slightly magical colouring of his eyes (and the sheen of glitter that always seemed to be covering him) and he looked a bit like a frog that also happened to practice voodoo. I was rather peculiar, and a bit amusing, and in normal circumstances Jace would probably have laughed but the last few days had taken their toll on him. He seemed to be in a lot more serious mood, and not just due to the seriousness of the conversation they were having. It was like he had finally seen the truth of the situation he had been blind to all of these years, and was having to bear the full brunt of it all at once. Luckily, he had Magnus, who appeared to be promising to spread the load.

"Right. This needs fixing. You guys need to just trust each other again. Get to know each other a bit again, by the sounds of it. Kapeesh?"

"Who says kapeesh?"

"I do. Now I am going to ring Alec and get him over so that we can sort this out. And then you are going to hide in your room so I can chat to him alone." Jace smirked.

"Kinky." Magnus fake slapped him, and the resulting action caused both boys to fall on the floor in a massive heap.

"Not kinky. Private. If you care for Alec, which you obviously do or you wouldn't be in such a state..."

"I'm not in a state."

"You wouldn't be in such a state over the whole thing, you would keep your little nose out of it." Magnus untangled himself and stood up, brushing the dust from his trousers. He looked a bit disgruntled, and then looked at Jace. His mouth dropped open.

"Oh, shit sorry I forgot about your ankle shit is it okay after falling on it crap crap crap crap..."

"Magnus, stop, I am fine!" He pulled himself up on his crutches, wincing a tiny bit - it had hurt just a little, but he didn't really care. "I think I've broken it just about as much as I can, a little bit more of an impact is going to make no difference. I don't care that much anyway. It's just a broken ankle." Magnus looked at him with curiosity, coking his head to the side. He was still brushing off his jeans.

"I thought you were a jock? Surely that means that your life revolves around having the ability to play sport?" Jace sighed.

"Yeh, I'm fed up of just being defined by that. I think this will give me a chance for people to see Jace Herondale and not just number 15." Magnus nodded.

"Okay, makes sense."

"Finally, someone gets me! It is a miracle!" Magnus grinned a grin at him that was friendly but all sharp teeth. It was an unnerving yet warm gesture all at once.

"I get most things sweet pea." Jace raised an eyebrow. "You'll get used to my nicknames. In the mean time, I am going to call Alec and you are going to drink the coffee I made you." Jace looked around. The offending article was sat on the table, miraculously unscathed by the shenanigans of life and Magnus. It would probably be a good idea to take a sip

He turned around once when he was drinking to find Magnus on the phone and bouncing up and down so high that he was skimming the ceiling with his hair. It was quite possible that the effects of the caffeine he had obviously had a heap of hadn't quite worn off yet.

* * *

Simon sat at the small, rickety metal table in Taki's, drumming his fingers impatiently on the cheap surface. He was out with Jonathan, his brother, getting a coffee and just doing something normal for once. After what had happened recently, with his mom and now going to live with a dad he knew nothing about and a brother he hadn't known existed, it was nice to just have normalcy or the impression at least. Isabelle gave him normalcy too. Clary gave him everything but it, but he didn't blame her, and anyway, she was his sister and he loved her, so he supported her instead of getting fed up with her. Well, fed up at her. It was hard not to get fed up sometimes. Clary could have a habit for whining occasionally, as if she was the only one with problems and she should be the centre of attention because of these. He tried to put up with it, and he had managed so far, but it was most likely only a matter of time before he snapped. He supposed that it must be generic with younger siblings.

He was just beginning to wonder if Jonathan considered him annoying when the other boy came back with the coffee. It had been a shock to discover that Jonathan was actually very similar to himself in a lot of ways – they liked the same coffee (cappuccino no sugar), they liked the same games (Jonathan had an inner nerd with a fetish for D&D) and even the same music (rocking the 80's – and 70's, and 90's, and old stuff really). Okay, so to the masses Jonathan appeared a polar opposite to Simon, but they were fundamentally the same inside, which made him great conversation. Right now, he was sliding into the hard seat opposite Simon with a grimace having spilt a bit of coffee on his hand. He wiped if off vigorously, the pale skin pink at the scolding. Simon winced and sucked in his breath between his teeth.

"Nasty." Jonathan waved it off.

"Nah, it's nothing. I'm always clumsy, I've got used to little burns from coffee and occasionally pasta water." Simon laughed.

"I never thought I'd live to see a clumsy football player!" Jonathan stopped flapping his hand about and moved on to the cappuccino.

"The football player is only my outer shell. Inside, I am like you."

"A deep footballer! Even better!"

"Drink up Si." He laughed, trying to make his voice stern and failing miserably. Simon however did just that, and the name was thought about as well. After a moment or two he set down the cup, drumming his fingers against it in the same way he had done to the table – it was one of his things.

"You know, you're the first person to call me that. I've always been Simon. I like it actually." Jonathan nodded. "Maybe I should call you Jon. Could be our clichéd twin thing." Jonathan nodded again.

"I like the sound of that. I like that I'm your twin too, _Si._" He stressed jokingly, "You're just… epic. And, you are interesting rather than a meathead who is just obsessed with girls like every friend I've had in the past. You have something called a brain."

"They are helpful actually, aren't they? Are you obsessed with girls like them then Jon or are you just like whatever? Or do you swing the other way?" Jonathan took another sip of coffee.

"I dabble. It depends really if there are any nice girls or if they are all just sluts with way too much makeup and way too few clothes with no self respect. I prefer the former. I also like a girl to have at least one brain cell, that is nice. You? Have a girlfriend?"

"I do actually." Simon said without blushing. Somehow Jon just didn't make him feel embarrassed.

"Oh yes?"

"Yeh, Izzy. She's epic, funny and happy and good to talk to and not too clingy and… and perfect really. And, she is also really beautiful, and I have only ever seen her slutty for parties, which is acceptable really." Jonathan nodded along know;edgably, looking thoughtful.

"Damn, you seem to have the school catch! Smart and pretty! Raziel, Simon, you are more epic than I first thought. And that was immensely epic." Simon laughed.

"She is also not one to be messed with."

"Sass! This gets better! I have one awesome brother. On the topic of siblings and girls, what is our Clary like?" Simon sighed.

"Honestly? At the moment she is being a self-centred bitch determined that she is the only one affected by Mom's death. She is constantly moping about, wanting sympathy, and not letting anyone move on. When I tried to, she suggested that I never loved Mom, when actually I was doing what Mom would want and living." Simon gulped. He had finally said it, finally let it all out. "Apart from that, she is funny, interesting and clever if a little shy."

"How did… how did Mom die, Si? Dad didn't say and I… I just wanted to know I guess." Simon gulped a lot this time. "If you can't say that's fine, it's just…" He added hastily. Simon brought a hand up quickly, silencing him.

"It's fine. You have a right to know. Basically… from what the police have been able to work out, Mom was walking home from the store she ran a bit later one night – she had been working on something or other – and… and she was walking past an alleyway when she was attacked. They reckon at least a couple of men. Seven stab wounds, one in each shoulder, one in each hand and foot and then the fatal one through the heart. Pronounced dead at the scene. Said it looked a bit like a morbid crucifixion-type stabbing, from like a cult. Haven't caught the men yet, but they reckon they're pretty close now." Jon set down his coffee again – he had taken another sip.

"I hope they catch the bastards. That's… by the angel, that's awful Si. Awful…" He trailed off.

"I am just glad that they are close to getting them. I don't want them to be free on the streets when they could do the same to someone else."

"What was she like? Dad never told me that either. Barely mentioned her unless it was absolutely necessary."

"Bohemian artist. She looked shockingly similar to Clary, deep emerald eyes and wild red hair – though hers was probably a shade or so darker. Always wearing paint splattered clothes, hair jabbed through with paintbrushes. Always smiling and laughing but serious when she needed to be, comforting you when you were down and proud when you did something good. She loved Luke, she loved us, and I think she must have loved you. She was that sort of person. She would only have kept you a secret from us because she wanted the best for us, and not because she was disappointed in you."

"She sounds like the mom I always dreamed of when it was just me and dad alone in our apartments in the cities and that. Stability. And love. She sounds like a stable, loving mom. The perfect mom." He sounded wistful. It made Simon's heart tug a bit.

"She was. And cities? You mean you've lived around?" Jon nodded.

"Yeh. Madrid, New York, London, Paris. Even Lima for a bit. That one was definitely my favourite."

"Peru? Nice."

"Yeh. The best bits are the llamas. And the Nazca lines."

* * *

_**Bit longer for you cus its been a while.. Lifesabitchandthenyoureundead, like the Frog Voodoo reference? Amsterdam 2013 – bikes, the Donkey and magic mushroom tea. Brilliant. (Don't worry, we didn't actually drink the tea, just found it.). Also, notice the hint at the end? Slightly different but the gist is there. All I can say is migrating llamas. And charangos.**_

_**Lu xxx**_


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